ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: The federal government has constituted a two-member inter-ministerial committee to tackle, on a permanent basis, the gas crisis following attacks on the gas pipeline, Dawn has learnt.
The committee, comprising interior secretary Tasneem Noorani and secretary petroleum M. Abdullah Yousaf, has been directed to visit the troubled areas immediately and finalize a strategy to establish authority of the government there.
It had been decided not to enter into dialogue with warring tribes on the subject of gas agreements and land rentals for the time being and till such time the warring tribes accepted the supremacy of the law of the land, informed sources said.
Secretary Petroleum M. Abdullah Yousaf, when contacted by Dawn, confirmed that he would be accompanying the interior secretary during a visit to the area on Thursday, but said no meeting was planned with the trouble-makers.
When asked why the government or the Oil and Gas Development Company had not opened dialogue with the tribal people, he said “there is no calamity”.
He said initial reports suggested that blowing up of gas pipeline was not because of gas agreements as Mazaris disrupted electricity supply to Bugtis and gas pipeline was attacked in retaliation.
He, however, said that petroleum ministry or the OGDCL were not starting negotiations with the Bugtis for the time being. He, however, confirmed that the OGDCL and local people of the troubled area had a dispute over the total area and the amount of rental where the petroleum activities were taking place, before the current law and order problem.
“But there is something more than this issue,” he said, adding that this had been going on for the last 50 years and resolved time and again.
He said that India had concerns over security of the pipeline from Iran to India through Pakistan and such incidents only increased problems for the country. “This is very unfortunate. They (warring tribes) can’t think for the country. But what can you do,?” said the secretary.
Petroleum ministry sources said there was no hard and fast rule for the payment of rental amount to the area that came under the petroleum activities and varied from area to area and from company to company.
Normally the rate of rental goes up and down on the basis of how powerful and influential the local people are. All the companies have firm agreements with local people in Sindh while there are no long-term agreements in Balochistan.
These sources said that Chief Secretary of Balochistan Pervez Saleem had been made the OSD because he did not respond to various contacts made by the petroleum ministry for around eight days before the first rocket attack last week.
The sources said the petroleum ministry had reports that there were some demands from the tribal people who wanted to approach the chief secretary but he did not respond.
These sources said that the government decided not to start dialogue with tribal leaders because it would give an impression of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali’s weakness from his own hometown, Rojhan, Balochistan.
Prime Minister Jamali visited Sardar Nawab Akbar Bugti’s residence in Dera Bugti in a special official plane just before he became the prime minister in October last.
Meanwhile, the petroleum ministry announced here on Tuesday that the gas supply to all CNG stations and other industrial consumers would gradually start by Wednesday morning.
Petroleum Minister Chaudhry Nourez Shakoor Khan said the repair work on the two main transmission lines of 24” dia and 30” dia between Sui and Guddu had been completed.
The lines were being pressurized at present after carrying out necessary tests. After carrying out necessary insulation work, the gas would be compressed into SNGPL’s main system, the minister said.
