KARACHI: Scores of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers, led by provincial ministers and members of the Sindh Assembly, on Friday staged a protest rally outside the Karachi Press Club against the suspension of gas supply to the province for almost a week and announced plans for a sit-in at the Sui Southern Gas Company office in the city if the situation does not improve within 24 hours.

The charged workers chanting slogans against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government and Prime Minister Imran Khan called for immediate restoration of gas supply that had badly disrupted the transport system of the province, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded due to absence of buses and other vehicles of public transport.

Addressing the protesting workers, Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Saeed Ghani criticised the PTI’s federal government and Prime Minister Imran Khan and called the ruling party at the Centre a “bunch of opportunists” and termed the prime minister “eggs seller”.

“When the leader of the national stature of the PTI finds economic growth in selling eggs and raising buffaloes, the nation should get ready for any crisis. We hope the gas issue will be resolved within the next 24 hours, but if the situation doesn’t improve, we will hold a protest sit-in at the SSGC office,” the PPP leader declared.

He said that although Sindh produced 70 per cent of the total gas production in the country, the province was being deprived of the gas supply in violation of Article 158 of the Constitution under which the province had the first right over its natural resources.

The minister said that non-supply of natural gas was also adversely affecting the generation of electricity.

“The Sindh government has taken up the matter with the federal government and the chief minister is himself looking into the issue which has raised hope the problem will be solved soon,” Mr Ghani said.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2018