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QUETTA, Jan 12: The gas supply from Sui gas field to other parts of the country remained suspended on Wednesday despite the passage of 30 hours.
The supply was suspended after the PPL shut down the gas purification plant following heavy gun battles between security forces and armed men in the Sui area on Tuesday.
Quetta and other areas of Balochistan remained unaffected by the suspension of the gas supply as domestic and commercial consumers were getting the gas supply without interruption from Shikarpur via Sibi.
"No city and town of the province is affected by the gas suspension from Sui area," a senior official of the Sui Southern Gas Company told Dawn, claiming that the gas supply to all areas of the province continued uninterrupted.
Only 10 cities and towns of the province are connected with the gas distribution system. They are: Quetta, Pishin, Mastung, Ziarat, Dera Bugti, Sibi, Dera Murad Jamali, Dera Allahyar, Usta Mohammad and Hub.
Though the Hub Industrial Estate is getting the gas supply none of the industrial units was based on natural gas. The Habibullah Coastal Power Plant in the private sector is the only big gas consumer in Balochistan that is based on gas but it is also getting gas supply without any problem.
After five days' fighting in the Sui area, no untoward incident was reported throughout the day on Wednesday. The heavily armed troops of the Frontier Corps, who took over the security of the Sui gas field and its purification plant on Tuesday evening, have been patrolling the area.
Normal life could not be restored in the troubled area as bazaars and shops remained closed on Tueaday. Most areas of Sui are still in darkness as broken wires and poles were still lying unattended and water supply to the area has remained cut off.
Meanwhile, officials have confirmed eight deaths during five days' clashes in the area. They include three members of the FC, a DSG and the rest are civilians.
GAS RESTORATION: The gas Balochistan," he said. In reply to a question about the alleged criminal assault of a woman doctor, he said a judicial inquiry had been ordered and those involved, even if they belonged to any government institution, would be brought to book.
ARMY ACTION IMMINENT: A major military operation in Balochistan is on the cards as army troops started moving to the troubled areas of the province on Wednesday, officials told Dawn.
They said a decision had been taken at the highest level of the government to protect vital installations and people in the violence-hit areas of the province.
When asked about troop movement, Director-General of the ISPR, Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, said: "Troops are being sent to Balochistan for protective deployment."
In reply to a question about the number of troops as according to some reports about 3,000 troops were on the move, the DG ISPR said: "I cannot give you the exact number of troops. But I can say that troops are being sent to protect the important installations at Sui and the families of the PPL staff."
PM'S ASSURANCE: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, during a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Yousuf, said that the government would extend full cooperation to the provincial government for the protection of important installations and maintenance of law and order.
Jam Yousuf, who called on the prime minister at the Prime Minister's secretariat, said the process of development would continue in the province and all efforts would be made to protect the national assets.
OPPOSITION'S WARNING: Reacting to reports of troops dispatch, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Raza Rabbani, said that history was witness that force never led to solution of a political crisis.
He said the question of Balochistan was very sensitive and the government should deal it with utmost care and exercise restraint. The PPP senator said the situation in Balochistan called for political sagacity as Baloch people felt they were being deprived of their basic rights and the solution of their problems should be found through dialogue.
Political circles in Islamabad fear that if the situation worsened, a federal rule might be imposed in Balochistan. Senior Vice-President of the People's Party Parliamentarians, Mir Baz Khan Khetran, said according to his information, 3,000 troops were on their way to Balochistan.
He said fears were rife that the federal government was about to launch a major operation in Balochistan and might even impose a federal rule. In reply to a question, Mr Khetran said the government should try to find an amicable solution to the problems of Baloch people. He said the government should hold dialogue with all the major political parties to resolve the crisis in the province.
