Lawmakers join hands to get oil, gas royalty for electorate

KARAK: Four lawmakers from the Kohat division have launched efforts for getting the oil and gas royalty after joining hands to get rights for their electorate.

Jamaitul Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel, who is a member of the group, told reporters Thursday that they had met the federal secretary for petroleum and discussed with him the outstanding oil and gas royalty of Kohat division.

He said that four lawmakers, including Malik Zafar Azam, Amjad Afridi and Shah Dad Khan from Kohat division and he himself had formed a committee to secure the release of the oil and gas royalty funds from the government and launch development projects in the division.

The lawmaker said during the last three years’ oil and gas funds amounting to Rs5.17 billion and three years’ production bonus fund of district Karak was pending with the provincial government. Nisar Gul alleged that the oil and gas companies working in the district were oblivious to the problems being faced by the people. He said the local people were deprived of the jobs in the oil and gas companies while heavy transport of the companies had destroyed the infrastructure.

The lawmaker also said that most of the people faced low gas pressure despite its huge reservoirs and production in the area. He said the federal secretary for petroleum had given an assurance that problems of the people would be resolved on a priority basis. The JUI-F MPA said that the committee members would meet Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister after Muharram to apprise him of the issues.