• Show-cause notices issued to company’s officials for contempt of court
• Bench censures utility for violating court orders, cites discrimination against Balochistan’s consumers

QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court has expressed strong displeasure over prolonged gas load-shedding, inflated billing, and inadequate gas supply in the province, directing the issuance of contempt of court notices to senior officials of the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL).

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barech and Justice Sardar Ahmad Haleemi issued the orders during the hearing of the case Syed Nazir Ahmed Agha vs. Federation of Pakistan.

The court observed that SSGCL’s repeated violations of court orders and its discriminatory treatment of the citizens of Balochistan constitute a clear breach of Articles 25 and 158 of the Constitution.

The bench termed SSGCL’s report on gasified areas in Balochistan as unsatisfactory, disappointing, and contrary to court directions. It noted that the company had been instructed to provide detailed data on gas supply in each district and tehsil, but instead merely listed names without fulfilling its responsibility.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel informed the court that gas outages in Quetta exceed 13 hours daily, while SSGCL continues to cite “maintenance work” as a pretext to recover its financial losses—an act the court described as blatant discrimination against consumers.

A disabled consumer, Nazir Ahmed, presented a copy of a gas bill amounting to Rs500,000, prompting the court’s astonishment. He stated that he lives in a small two-room house, yet the bill exceeds his annual income. The court directed Ogra and SSGCL to address such complaints immediately and provide relief to affected consumers.

The court further observed that despite earlier directives to ensure gas supply in the province, SSGCL neither contacted the federal government nor took steps to resolve supply issues. The bench remarked that the company’s attitude reflects deliberate negligence of public interest and defiance of judicial orders.

Consequently, the court issued show-cause notices for contempt proceedings to SSGCL’s general manager, head of billing, and legal manager, directing them to explain why action should not be taken against them.

The bench also noted that the federal government had approved 30 LPG air-mix plants for Balochistan, which were unjustifiably shut down in 2019, while new plants continue to be established in other provinces. The Chief Secretary of Balochistan, as a member of the SSGCL Board, was directed to raise the issue again in the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to ensure gas supply to remote districts.

The court further directed Ogra’s chairman to explain why Balochistan is being supplied less gas, how the Weighted Average Cost of Gas (WACOG) is calculated, and why Article 158 of the Constitution is being ignored in the process.

The SSGCL was ordered to submit a detailed report on gas consumers, pressure levels, load-shedding schedules, and actions taken against illegal connections in every district and tehsil of Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2025