PPP blocks two gas revenue bills amid rift with govt

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) obstructed parliamentary proceedings on two government bills related to natural gas revenue adjustments during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum on Friday. The bills in question were the Natural Gas (Development Surcharge) Amendment Bill and the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) Amendment Bill.

Prior to the meeting, PPP lawmaker and former federal minister for petroleum and finance, Syed Naveed Qamar, requested the panel not to discuss these specific bills.

The Natural Gas (Development Surcharge) Amendment Bill aimed to expand the scope of funds from GIDC for strategic oil and gas reserves beyond the initial mandate of developing Pakistan-Iran, Turkmenistan-Pakistan, and cross-country gas pipelines. Currently, approximately Rs295 billion remains unutilized in the public treasury, while over Rs400 billion collected by fertiliser companies from consumers is still outside the national exchequer due to legal issues.

Qamar expressed that although the PPP had been supporting the government, the relationship could not be maintained unilaterally indefinitely. He conveyed certain reservations to the government, which, if resolved, could lead to PPP support. These concerns included the recent AJK elections, the appointment of judges, and other matters.

Despite the government's promise to address these issues, Qamar stated that no progress had been made, leading to the PPP's decision not to support the government until tangible improvements were observed.

Furthermore, Qamar criticized the Islamabad Local Government Bill, deeming it unacceptable and filed a dissenting note. He emphasized that the law minister was currently abroad and questioned his level of active involvement. Committee Chairman Syed Mustafa Mehmood suggested that cheap gas should not be provided to fertiliser companies if the benefits did not reach farmers. After deliberation, the committee decided to defer both bills.