PESHAWAR: Former federal minister and ex-chairman of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textile Mills Association (KPTMA), Salim Saifullah Khan, has strongly opposed SNGPL’s decision to provide new gas connections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) basis, calling it unconstitutional and unjust.
In a statement on Monday, Khan said that under Article 158 of the Constitution, gas-producing provinces have the first right to its use. “KP is self-sufficient in natural gas and does not require costly imported RLNG. Such connections should be restricted to non-producing regions,” he stressed.
He demanded immediate withdrawal of arbitrary tariff hikes, reduction in gas prices, and an end to burdening consumers with the cost of line losses and theft. Khan highlighted that residents of gas-producing areas such as Lakki Marwat and Bettani remain deprived of supply despite their constitutional right.
Warning of province-wide protests and possible disruption of gas supply, Khan said: “If this decision is not reversed and prices are not reduced, SNGPL alone will be responsible for the consequences.”