Government sees 'pre-planned move' behind gas protests: opposition, MQM stage walkout from National Assembly

The government sees a pre-planned move behind the countrywide protests against the power and gas load shedding, as the opposition walked out of the National Assembly on Monday after demanding resignation from the rulers over their failure to provide any relief to the people during their last four years in power.
A coalition partner of the government, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), also flayed non-serious attitude of the government and stormed out of the House accusing the presiding officer, Nawab Yousuf Talpur, of deliberately delaying a call attention notice moved by it against the recent hike in gas price.
The issue of gas and power load shedding was raised in the National Assembly soon after the question hour session on a point of order by the opposition. The opposition members lodged protest over what they said lukewarm response of the government against the countrywide protest, especially, by the prime minister, who did not consider the issue worth speaking about on the floor of the House.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz legislators Barjees Tahir, Malik Ibrar, Mehtab Abbasi and Tehmina Dultana blamed the government policy for paralysing life in the country and asked the government to resign if it did not have any plan to lessen the miseries of the masses.
"Call a fresh elections if you could not run the government," Methab Abbasi told the government, adding that there is no harm in holding fresh elections in the country. Abbasi said that PML-N did not want to topple the government but the policies pursued by the ruling Pakistan People's Party had not provided any relief to the people during the last four years.
He said the opposition was expecting a policy statement from the prime minister over the countrywide protests against the gas load shedding but was disappointed when the premier did not utter a single word over the issue, which reflected his indifference towards the problems faced by people. Hence, he said, the opposition has no other option but to walk out in protest against the non-responsive attitude of the government.
The MQM also staged a walkout criticising the non-serious attitude and blaming the presiding officer Nawab Yousuf Talpur of deliberately delaying their call attention notice against the recent increase in CNG price. MQM said that such anti people decisions by the bureaucracy were designed to destabilise the government.
Responding to the call attention notice, Syed Khurshid Shah, Minister for Religious Affairs, said that CNG prices had been raised by 14 percent to minimise 45 percent difference between oil and CNG prices as gas used in the vehicles was leading to shortage for domestic consumers. He said that the shortage of gas had crossed 2000 million cubic feet and the government could not afford supply of CNG to the vehicles at the cost of domestic consumers. The minister said that each CNG-fitted vehicle monthly consumes equal to the gas consumed by fifteen domestic consumers and total CNG fitted vehicles in the country are about 1.5 million.
Khurshid Shah also accused the CNG sector of being involved in gas theft, saying that the recent protest against the gas load shedding was pre-planned. The minister said that the shortage of gas was not something new as gas shortage was also faced in the last winter but some people exploited the issue by bringing people on the roads against the government.
Former State Minister for Information, Samsam Bukhari, lamented the increasing corruption in Pakistan Works Department (PWD) and demanded House committee to hold investigation against the people who, he said, were demanding commission in the name of some influential persons.