Gas troubles

The PML-N wants more

You can never guess what politicians might do at any given time except perhaps when in power they like to consolidate their hold on power and cling to it as long as possible. The incumbent government, the PML-N’s, has been doing the same since its majority became clear after polling on May 11. It solidified its control in Punjab, the largest province of the country population wise, joined coalition in the resource rich province of Balochistan, hasn’t offered any ministry worth influencing policy to its coalition partners in the centre, brought in a president in a not so democratically justified manner, has refused to allot two important ministerial portfolios, those of foreign affairs and defence, to anyone. And now the latest, it may be messing with the constitution as it has hinted at changing the natural gas-sharing formula.

Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi called for a change in the gas-sharing formula the other day which cannot be done without amending the constitution. According to the minister, a narrow interpretation of Article 158 of the constitution had created a lot of problems for the country and that there was a need “to look into the intention of the drafters of the constitution”. The said article sets precedence of the province where gas reserves are found over the others. If the minister, and the PML-N government by extension, wants to change that it could create difficulties at a number of levels. Legalities aside, the N League government might find it difficult, if not impossible at all, to sell the idea to all the provinces. With a sense of depravation prevailing in Balochistan and Sindh, with the former not even being in the mainstream politics or social sphere of the country and the latter still not in sync with what little progress the country has made, PML-N’s intentions will not earn them any friends there. Depriving the poor and downtrodden population in these provinces of a cheap fuel is not an easy sell, and howsoever the N League goes about the issue, it would become a villain to the three provinces, a perception held by many in the political and public circles to be true.

The step, if taken, would create more problems than it is intended to solve. It would divide the people and deprive them of their rights guaranteed under the constitution. If the League government feels it needs more gas to run fertiliser plants, it should look into ways to increase gas supply, instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul. As the Opposition Leader has stated: “The secret of strong and secure Pakistan lies in the empowerment of the provinces and deliverance of due rights to them irrespective of their size and stature”, the government would do better to think twice before taking any action in this direction.