A crisis to solve

This winter has been marked by worsening smog and gas shortages. From frequent electricity breakdowns to acute gas load-shedding, these crises have only worsened in one way or another. The country is in the grip of a gas crisis. A shortage of natural gas has meant that millions of people do not have gas to cook, or hot water to bathe in. There are mile long queues at CNG stations. Many buses, which run on CNG, are off the roads creating chaos in the nation’s public transport system. The proximate cause is that winter has ramped up demand and supply has not kept up. But that is not the whole story. Let us be clear that Pakistan has not, overnight, run out of gas. The gas is there. But we cannot produce it, why?

The gas shortage is a huge issue and must be resolved as soon as possible. The challenge for the prime minister is to understand this basic issue. The gas shortage will only get worse if the government does not address the problem. The solution, is not difficult, if we work together to resolve this issue.

Hafsa Nadeem

Islamabad