Munawar Hasan denounces the Petroleum Ministry’s for enhancing Gas price

LAHORE: Syed Munawar Hasan, has denounced the Petroleum Ministry’s reported to enhance the gas prices for domestic consumers to meet the Rs. 22 billion loss caused by the gas theft.

In a press statement here on Monday, he wondered whether the law abiding citizens were being punished because they paid their utility bills scrupulously. He said that such a decision would further encourage the gas and electricity thieves and discourage the consumers paying their bills honestly. Therefore this decision was totally unjust.

Syed Munawar Hasan said that the criminals involved in the major theft of electricity and gas were taking shelter in the government ranks Instead of reducing the CNG and POL prices under the Supreme Court orders, the rulers were bent upon increasing the burden on the masses. The rulers were the greatest obstruction in the provision of relief to the masses, he added He said that long queues of vehicles seen at petrol and CNG pumps spoke of the incompetence of the rulers who however continued to make tall claims of serving the people.

Syed Munawar Hasan said, there was neither any mechanism to stop the theft of gas and electricity worth billions nor was the government keen to take this course for obvious reasons. The burden of electricity theft was put on the common man in the name of Line losses. He said that the commission mafia had encouraged the culture of commission and corruption at every level.

He said, according to the record presented before the Supreme Court, gas worth millions was being stolen from nearly two hundred CNG stations daily, most of these stations were owned by important official figures or their kith and kin, and the concerned officials dared not to divulge their names. Even if some gas thief was caught, he secured his release through bribe or on the telephone call from some big wig.

The JI Ameer said that the corruption going on under the government patronage had crippled the national economy. Big fish sitting in the government were sucking the blood of the common man. Even if the judiciary took some decision to provide relief to the masses, the rulers stood in its way.

He said if the rulers did not mend their ways and failed to provide relief to the masses under the court orders, the masses were bound to lose their patience and the public fury would sweep them away.