Islamabad (September 11, 2018): The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the National Accountability Bureau to submit an LNG agreement with Qatar that was signed during the previous government’s tenure.
The apex court was hearing a petition filed by a citizen pertaining to the LNG contract. According to the petition, the national exchequer cut losses worth billions of dollars due to the contract.
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As the hearing went under way today, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar noted that a representative of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should have been present in court.
The court then ordered NAB to immediately submit the probe’s details.
During the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s tenure, former petroleum minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had signed the LNG contract with Qatar.
Earlier on June 07, the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources on Thursday Sought complete details of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) deal with Qatar.
The committee meeting, chaired by Mohsin Aziz, also deliberated on Senate Special Committees’ reports regarding implementation on Gas Infrastructure Development Cess, import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), its terminals and supply to consumers.
Senate Standing Committee showed concerns over the recovery of 35 billion rupees from gas consumers in the name of capacity charges of LNG terminals since 2015.
Senior officials of the ministry briefed the committee on working of the division and its attached departments including Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, Pakistan State Oil, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Pak Arab Refinery, Sui Northern & Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited and Pakistan LNG.
The meeting was apprised that electricity was being generated through different sources including natural gas, LNG, LPG, oil, coal and wind.
They said oil and gas exploration companies drilled around 1055 wells in different parts of the country since its creation, while the number of mature wells was 1386.
They said overall success rate in oil and gas exploration sector was around 34 percent, adding that the division had so far granted 174 exploration licenses and 180 leases.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Senators Lt Gen (Retd.) Salahuddin Tirmizi, Shamim Afridi, Saleem Zia, Fida Muhammad, Dr Jehanzeb Jamal Deeni, Bahramand Khan Tangi, besides senior officials of the Petroleum Division and its attached departments.
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