Allegation of taking bribe for opposing RGST: Faisal Saleh Hayat demands apology from Hafeez Sheikh

A controversial statement by Finance Minister Dr Hafeez Sheikh alleging politicians of taking 'bribe' to oppose RGST prompted PML-Q parliamentary leader Faisal Saleh Hayat to demand an 'apology' here on Monday.
The finance minister, through his statement, has breached the privilege of not only mine but the entire house, said Faisal Saleh Hayat. The finance minister should come and tender an apology to the members of NA and Senate, he demanded.
Earlier, the Finance Minister was quoted as saying "interest groups had bribed politicians to oppose the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST), which is vital for the country's economy. He had said that some elements used politicians and financed them to oppose the tax in the lower and upper houses, adding that people are afraid of documentation that would bring them into the tax net.
Addressing the lower house on first day of 28th Session, PML-Q Parliamentary leader and former Interior Minister deplored the statement and said his party and some others had opposed the RGST, therefore, it was a direct allegation.
"I am not a sellable commodity," said the emotional PML-Q leader while declaring his party will continue to oppose the RGST.
He said that the finance minister was a responsible person but he has not challenged the publication of the news item that implies that he actually meant what he said.
Meanwhile, Minister for Petroleum and Natrual Resurces Syed Naveed Qamar told the house that there was a ban on setting up new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in the country.
However, the minister could not say it for sure that the policy was being followed as he said, "I cannot say if OGRA was issuing these licenses in back dates."
In response to several supplementary questions, particularly from PML-N members over the issue of gas supply, Naveed Qamar referred to Article 158 of the Constitution and said two provinces had invoked the provision inserted in the constitution in 1973 through court orders that ask for uninterrupted supply of gas. The government had to go along with court orders, he added.
The provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had attained rulings from their respective high courts against the gas load shedding.
Article 158 reads as, "The Province in which a well-head of natural gas is situated shall have precedence over other parts of Pakistan in meeting the requirements from the well-head, subject to the commitments and obligations as on the commencing day."
The PML-N members had said that the load shedding was increasing unemployment by shutting the industry in the province on the one hand and was adversely affecting the domestic consumers on the other.
In response to a question, Naveed Qamar said Kunnar, Pasakhi Deep Tando Allah Yar and Sinjhoro fields would start production in the near future and the estimated accumulative production from both these fields would be 315 Million cubic feet (MMCFD) per day which would also help bridge gap between the demand and supply.
He said total average domestic gas production of the country was about 4200 MMCFD per day and supply from both the fields would add about 7.5 percent gas to the national distribution network.