The government has not yet officially inaugurated the country''s first ever liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that has been operational since March 2015, it has been learnt. According to the officials of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, the LNG terminal set up by Engro has been functional since March 2015 while the governments of Pakistan and Qatar signed the LNG agreement on February 10, 2016 but still neither the petroleum ministry nor any other relevant department has uploaded the details of the deal on its website.
Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has repeatedly stated that placing the pros and cons of the deal on website is the responsibility of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) but, despite the passage of nine months, the agreement has not been made public. The deal envisages import of 2.25 million tons of LNG from February 2016 to June 2017 and 3.75 million tons per annum from July 2017 to 2030.
The PSO is making payments to Qatargas - the largest LNG producer in the world - every fortnight through Standby Letter of Credit (SLBC) at 105 percent of the value of four LNG cargoes. When Abbasi was asked why the government has failed to inaugurate the first ever LNG terminal officially, he replied that it would be done soon. On a query about not making the LNG deal public, Abbasi said that he has advised the PSO management to place the non-confidential parts of the deal on the website.
According to PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, the government is deliberately not making the deal public, which, as per law, is necessary, saying that there is no clarity in the entire process. Mandviwalla alleged that the government has received kickbacks in the LNG deal; therefore the ministry is not unveiling it.
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