ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) is dysfunctional upon the expiry of contract of the chairperson on Friday (July 17). Now Ogra is functioning without a quorum and cannot take major regulatory decisions such as pending petitions of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) for the estimated revenue requirements for financial year 2020-21 and shortfall of previous years, an official of the authority said.
Uzma Adil Khan took charge as chairperson Ogra on July 18, 2016. She was the only female head of the authority. Member Oil position fell vacant after contract of Dr Abdul Malik expired on April 23, 2020. Dr Abdul Malik had been appointed member oil, (Ogra) on April 24, 2017.
The federal government notified a five-member committee for the selection of new chairman and member oil of the Ogra. The committee is headed by Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior as chairman.
The committee also comprises cabinet secretary, chairman of PSO board of directors Zafar Usman, and director of the Board of Directors of PARCO (Pak-Arab Refinery Company) Aftab Hussain as members. Najamul Kamal Hyder who remained as OGDCL MD till 2005 is also a member of the selection committee.
Members representing refinery and state-owned oil marketing company have conflict of interests as to how they can be part of the committee that is to select the new Ogra chairman and member oil, some oil and gas experts said.
Uzma Adil is an eminent industry professional with rich experience in both public as well as private sectors. She brings over 30 years of dynamic and diversified experience with her to the OGRA. Her previous assignment was as managing director of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and earlier as chief financial officer (CFO).
She joined the SNGPL in 2001 and rose to the top slot of the state-owned utility within 15 years. She is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and Institute of Secretaries and Managers (ICSM).
Before joining the SNGPL, she served at senior positions in textile, educational institutions, and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Rawalpindi on December 23, 2019, had filed a corruption reference in the Accountability Court of Islamabad against the PML-N leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and others including Uzma Adil in the multi-billion-rupee liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract case.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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