The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to vigorously fight the case at every forum to recover the outstanding dues of Rs 27 billion pending against the federal government in terms of Net Hydel Profit and to achieve the constitutonal rights of the province. It has announced to raise its voice in the Senate and other higher forums, including the provincial and national assemblies, for the autonomy of the province, above political differences.
Moreover, the people of the province have the right to the natural resources of the province alone and any leniency or negligence in achieving it will be considered a violation of the public mandate. Hydropower resources, including oil and gas, are the production of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and every constitutional and legal way should be adopted for their legitimate use.
In this regard, the first meeting of the Advisory Committee on Energy & Power, consisting of provincial ministers, members of the national and provincial assemblies, was held, which was chaired by the Provincial Minister for Energy & Power Nazir Ahmad Abbasi. The meeting was attended by Member of National Assembly Sher Ali Arbab, MNA Ali Asghar Khan, MNA Dr. Amjad Ali Khan, members of Provincial Assembly Ahmed Karim Kundi, Asif Khan and Secretary Energy & Power Nisar Ahmed.
At this juncture, briefing the meeting about PEDO, a subsidiary of Energy Department, the Secretary Nisar Ahmed said that at present 224 MW of electricity is being generated from 10 energy projects of PEDO, which is generating an annual income of more than Rs 6 billion to the province. A 40-kilometer long transmission line is being constructed from Matiltan swat to Bahrain, from where the Energy Department has established its owned transmission company Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transmission and Grid System Company (KT&GSC) to make electricity transmission possible, while a regulatory company on the lines of NEPRA is also being established at the provincial level to set electricity rates.
The Energy Secretary further said that unfortunately, the federal government has more control over the province’s oil and gas reserves. Under Article 157 of the Constitution, the people of the province in which oil and gas is produced have the first right. At present, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is producing 500 to 550 cubic feet of gas daily, while the province’s own requirement is only 150 cubic feet, which it is not meeting he added.
Similarly, work is being done on an oil and gas project on the basis of a 51% share in the Miran block. He said that if the oil and gas reserves, including hydropower, are implemented according to the constitution and law, the province’s economy can become much stronger in the next 6 to 7 years he hoped.
In the meeting, members of the National Assembly Sher Ali Arbab, Ali Asghar Khan, Dr. Amjad Ali Khan, as well as members of the Assembly Asif Khan and Ahmed Karim Kundi agreed to further strengthen the advisory committee formed on energy matters and continue the struggle jointly for the constitutional rights of the province.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Minister for Energy Nazir Ahmed Abbasi was told that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a province rich in natural resources where there are immense resources of oil and gas, including cheap production of Hydropower, which can be utilized to strengthen the economy of the province. He further said that now the time has come for us to talk about the rights of the province on the basis of equality in every forum, every jirga and every aspect. He added that now we have to come to the field for autonomy and survival and fight practically to get our dues from the federal government. Furthermore, companies working for oil and gas exploration in the province are facing security problems. If the security agencies cannot provide security, we will recruit local people and form our own security force. He urged the committee members to attract investors for the development of the energy sector in the province.