Deadlock persists as provinces refuse to give up ‘first right of use’ of natural gas

ISLAMABAD: Provinces have turned down a proposal floated by the federal government that asks provinces to withdraw their first right of use over natural gas and give top priority to domestic consumers across the country.

The proposal, taken up by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in its recent meeting, was aimed at overcoming the emerging gas crisis in winter.

Under Article 158 of the Constitution, gas-producing provinces like Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have the first right of use over the natural resource found in their jurisdictions. However, Punjab, which has a large population, has been impacted the most by the article.

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