PESHAWAR, March 4: The gas producing Karak district has been denied basic amenities and the situation is ‘compelling its residents to create a situation like that in Dera Bugti, Balochistan.’

This was stated by Karak district Nazim Rahmat Salam Khattak while speaking at the Guest Hour programme of the press club on Saturday.

He said in the district, there are two major gas fields, connected to the country’s main supply line, and 35 new sites had been identified, where big gas and oil reserves were expected.

He said that Karak also produced uranium and it was expected to become major energy producer in the coming day to fulfil Pakistan’s energy needs.

He said that it was responsibility of government to provide special grants for uplift works in the area.

The nazim expressed the fear that the people of his district could react like people of Balochistan because they had been denied basic ‘rights,’ including water, electricity, health facilities and even gas.

He said that in 2004, the government started gas supply from the Gorgori oil and gas field but it had failed to provide gas to the Gorgori town.

He said that two years ago, the government had promised gas for the Gorgori town but till date no work had been done in this regard.

Mr Khattak warned that gas supply to Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Lakki while denying the same to Karak could create a law and order situation there.

For the district government, he said, provision of potable water to the people was a big challenge. “This problem can be solved through construction of small dams,” he added and called on the federal government to honour its declaration of provision of potable water to all till 2007.

“There is a shortage of doctors and medical equipment in the district hospital,” he said and added that the district government had allocated a major part of its budget to overcome basic problems of water and health facilities but it could not be done without cooperation from the provincial and federal governments. —-PPI