REFERENCE your editorial ‘Fuelling controversy’ (Jan 20). Your opening remarks, quoting Finance Minister Ishaq Dar that the critical fuel shortage in Punjab might be a conspiracy against his government, leaves one thinking without an iota of doubt that Pakistan is the most fertile land for breeding conspiracies.

The world must be laughing at the statement of none but the dear relative of the prime minister on such findings for the acute shortage of petrol products in the country.

First, it is not a conspiracy. Second, if for a while we believe that a conspiracy was hatched, the question arises: were government agencies and the departments concerned sleeping in the fog-engulfed Punjab to give a free hand to the conspirators?

As a nation, it has become a habit that every misfortune befalling our country is termed a conspiracy.

The present petrol crisis is nothing but incompetence and lack of planning by the authorities concerned. We never hear such a crisis arising in even the most underdeveloped countries.

It is a warning bell for the nation to learn some lessons. Instead of blaming others, we should wake up, accept the reality and get rid of conspiracy theories. It is time we got mature enough to stand up as a nation, accepted our mistakes and shortcomings, resolved the crisis in the most amicable manner and chalked out a strategy for any such happing in the future.

During the last PPP government when Punjab was faced with a gas shortage, it was widely propagated that the Sindh-based rulers were making Punjab suffer. Why the worst petrol shortage in Punjab now?

Aamir Aqil

Lahore

Published in Dawn January 24th , 2015

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