January 29, 2003	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 25,1423

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LAHORE, Jan 28: Paramilitary forces assigned to protect the Sui-Guddu gasline failed to arrive at the scene by the time this report was filed at 9.15pm on Tuesday.

The sources in the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) claimed that they were assured about the arrival of the forces by 3pm but no one turned up.

They also claimed that a four-wheeler of the company was driven away by the tribal gunmen in the presence of police.

“The area police also refused to protect the company workers during the night and left them last evening. Only the threat of abandoning the repair work by the company workers brought the police back,” they said.

Meanwhile, SNGPL officials said both gaslines, repaired by 9.30pm on Monday evening, had been commissioned. “Low pressure testing is being carried out at the moment in view of the absence of para-military forces and potential threat of another sabotage.”

By 10am Tuesday, the company increased the pressure to start packing the system. By 10pm, the system had 1,100 million cubic feet gas, which was sufficient to meet the demand of commercial and domestic users and also the CNG stations.

The company started restoring supply to the CNG stations by Tuesday night and a decision about industry would be taken on Wednesday morning, officials said.

They hoped that fertiliser sector would start getting supply during the first week of February. “The power sector comes next followed by the cement sector. The situation would become normal by mid-February if weather stabilises and there are no further attacks on the gaslines.”