The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Monday released protest schedule, calling it the last resort to get their rights protected. The APCNGA said the whole sector was being victimised by a few due to the absence of a CNG policy. Ghayas Abdullah Paracha, the APCNGA chairman, said the “engineered crisis” had left around 400,000 people unemployed, making life difficult for them and their two-and-a-half million dependants. He said the transport sector had also been badly hit, leaving millions more insecure besides adding to the miseries of the general public. Paracha said CNG filling stations had been closed since two-and-a-half months, which was resulting in the machinery rusting away and had put investment of around Rs 400 billion at stake. He said the president and prime minister should intervene to save investment and provide relief to the masses. “The latest pricing formula was made in violation of all rules, regulations and norms, while gas prices and taxes were not reduced as demanded,” the APCNGA chairman said. Paracha said the CNG sector was totally dependent on provision of gas, still gas was being provided to other sectors that had other options available for energy. “The CNG sector consumes seven percent gas and is being victimised systematically, while those involved in gas theft to the tune of 14 percent are being encouraged,” he lamented. “Those who have blamed the CNG sector for consuming too much gas should tell the nation why there is no gas available for domestic consumers when the CNG stations have been closed,” he questioned. Paracha said the nation must know where all the gas was going, adding that the association had no option left but to take to the streets to get its demands met. Giving details of the protest schedule, he said a protest rally would be staged from Faizabad, near Hascol CNG filling station at 2pm on January 8, while another rally would taken out at 4:30pm in Karachi at Civic Lawn, Opposite SSGC head office, and would be followed by a press conference. “Similarly, a demonstration will be held at Main Market Gulberg, Lahore at 2:30pm, while another rally will be taken out at 2pm at Main GTS Chowk, Faisalabad.”
