Any new interpretation of Article 158 to be disastrous: KCCI, BMG

The leadership of Businessmen Group & Office Bearers of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), while commenting on recent media reports with regards to the forthcoming meeting of Council of Common Interest (CCI) and its agenda pertaining to RLNG and Article 158 of the Constitution, opined that the Article 158 is very clear and any new interpretation to this would be disastrous for the federation as this three liner article clearly states that it is the prerogative of gas usage of the province where it is being explored.

In a joint statement, Chairman BMG and Former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, Vice Chairmen BMG & Former Presidents KCCI Tahir Khaliq, Zubair Motiwala, Haroon Farooki and Anjum Nisar, President KCCI Younus Muhammad Bashir, Senior Vice President KCCI Zia Ahmed Khan and Vice President KCCI Muhammad Naeem Sharif pointed that Sindh, by grace of Allah, contributes 73 percent of the country's total gas and it is being subjected to the quota of 29 percent which also includes gas for Balochistan, supplies to Power Houses at Jamshoro and to K-Electric for power generation while the industry of Sindh is left with a meager amount of gas.

They commented that Karachi, which contributes more than 65 percent in the national revenue, more than 30 percent in terms of exports, and despite being a commercial hub, is subjected to this kind of treatment. "Karachi, with all its law & order and security problems, continues to contribute mega portion in the national economy and the industries of Karachi suffer due to dis- criminatory attitude by the federal government", they said, adding that with this kind of share in the national economy, the federal government should have come forward and amended the quota for Sindh as per monetary contribution in the national exchequer.

They felt depressed that instead of appreciation and positive attitude, federal government is trying to reduce what they called 'unjustified quota' as according to the true interpretation of Article 158, Sindh should be allowed to use as much gas as it requires. If this attitude would have been adopted, Karachi today would not have security and law & order problems as, many more industries would have come up and the question of unemployment, which is the basic reason behind the menace of terrorism and extremism, would have never arisen, they added.