ISLAMABAD: A Senate sub-committee has directed the Ministry of Petroleum to submit, within two days, a comprehensive report detailing the profits earned by oil and gas companies over the past 16 years, amid growing concerns over the distribution of revenues generated from Pakistan’s natural resources.
The directive was issued during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Devolution’s sub-committee, chaired by Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro, which reviewed the implementation of constitutional provisions relating to provincial ownership and participation in oil and gas resources.
Petroleum Ministry officials informed the committee that profits earned by oil and gas companies had been distributed among shareholders. However, the explanation failed to satisfy committee members, prompting Senator Ghumro to seek a detailed breakdown of profits earned since 2009, including how the earnings were distributed and ultimately utilized.
The committee was examining compliance with Article 172(3) of the Constitution, which guarantees provincial ownership and participation in oil and gas resources, including representation of provinces on the boards of state-owned energy companies.
Officials told the panel that the ministry had written to provincial chief secretaries, reminding them of the constitutional requirement for provincial representation on company boards and provincial ownership of shares. Consultations with provincial governments on board nominations and shareholding arrangements are expected to begin shortly.
Expressing concern over the prolonged delay in implementing these constitutional provisions, Senator Ghumro directed the ministry to immediately seek nominations from provincial governments, emphasizing that only the provinces have the authority to nominate their representatives. He urged the ministry to implement constitutional safeguards for oil- and gas-producing provinces in both letter and spirit.
The committee also reviewed the issue of approximately 275,000 vacant federal government positions, despite budgetary allocations for these posts. Members observed that the prolonged vacancies undermine citizens’ constitutional right to employment under Article 38(g) of the Constitution.
According to the committee, Sindh remains short of approximately 83,000 federal posts under its provincial quota, while Balochistan faces a shortfall of nearly 27,000 positions.
The panel directed the Establishment Division to review previous notifications regarding provincial quotas, establish a dedicated cell to address the issue, and submit all relevant documents along with a timeline for corrective measures within one week.
It further instructed the division to provide a schedule for filling vacancies in BS-1 to BS-16, recruitment plans through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) for BS-16 and BS-17 positions, and a timetable for convening promotion boards for officers in BS-18 to BS-22.
Senator Ghumro said it was unacceptable that thousands of government positions remained vacant while unemployment continued to rise, stressing the need for immediate action to fill funded vacancies and ensure constitutional rights are upheld.
Story by Zulfiqar Ahmad
