ISLAMABAD: PMLN President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif has demanded a detailed and in-depth investigation of PTI government’s procurement of the most expensive LNG in history that had cost the country $422.4 million extra.
In a statement, Shehbaz said the international media’s report has endorsed the opposition’s statement over this issue. He said this truth has exposed that the PTI government repeatedly lied to the nation. He said the PTI has bought LNG for $15 per mmbtu which PMLN bought for $8 per mmbtu.
The National Assembly Opposition Leader said on every shipment of LNG this PTI government is wasting an additional $22.5 million dollars of the country. On 4 of such shipment a whopping $95 million dollars of nations money will be wasted. The people would be paying $15 dollars per unit in the current month which was unbearable, he said.
He said during the global peak of the covid19 pandemic, LNG was available at much cheaper rates but the PTI government intentionally delayed the procurement. He reminded that the PMLN had at that time demanded that this cheap LNG should be bought. In September 2021 Pakistan will pay $387 million dollars for LNG.
He said Trafigura Company had offered the cheaper LNG to Pakistan which the PTI government declined. Had the PTI government agreed to a 3 year contract at that time, Pakistan would have gotten LNG at $4 mmbtu instead of $15 mmbtu, he said. This, he said, would have saved Pakistan $35.2 million dollars per shipment and the country would have received 12 cargoes by now. The country could have saved $422.4 million.
The PMLN President said PTI government could import 14 cargoes but was intentionally importing less which has created a shortage for CNG sector and industry. He said had the government paid head to PMLN advice the country could have avoided the energy crisis and the people would have gotten cheaper gas. It is a global practice that long term agreements are signed for LNG procurement but PTI went for spot-buying which was an outrageous step, he lambasted.
Shehbaz said all this did not happen because of incompetence or mismanagement but because of a well thought out plan by government functionaries to make money. He stressed that this must be investigated.
Those who benefited the country by buying cheap LNG were facing imprisonment while those who were looting the nation were ruling.
Responsibility for this dacoity on the people of Pakistan must be fixed and the perpetrators must be punished. The nation continues being robbed just the way they were robbed in sugar and flour scandals. PTI government’s policies are directly causing skyrocketing inflation and exponential unemployment, he said.
