Jirga threatens to halt oil supply from southern districts

KARAK: The Loya Jirga, an alliance of the five lawmakers from Kohat division, on Thursday threatened to halt the supply of oil from the southern districts after accusing oil and gas companies of dishonoring pledges.

Talking to reporters here, Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel said the companies should fulfil pledges made with local people.

The lawmaker believed the infrastructure was in a shambles due to the oil and gas companies which were working in the Kohat division. He also complained that the payment of compensation to the landowners had not been increased for the last several years.

“The companies had earlier promised to employ the local people but later reneged on the pledges and ignored the local educated youth in jobs,” Gul said, adding that it had created a sense of deprivation among the local people.

He claimed that the ecosystem had been badly affected by the companies but no remedial steps were taken for improvement.

The lawmaker believed that their party leadership would support their move to organize protest rally against the companies and the government. He also said that the provincial government had not paid Rs9.64 billion to Kohat division during the last five years.