KP CNG sector: Afridi urges PM to withdraw gas cut

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking immediate intervention over the federal government’s decision to cut gas supply to the province’s CNG sector. In the letter, Afridi highlighted the province’s gas position, noting that KP has a substantial surplus, producing around 494 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of natural gas, while average consumption remains approximately 120 MMCFD. The chief minister said the CNG sector, which requires some 36-40 MMCFD, has been diverted to the fertiliser sector, a move he warned could trigger widespread agitation and pose a serious threat to law and order in the province. Invoking constitutional provisions, the letter cited Article 158 of the Constitution, which gives a province the first right to utilise gas located within its territory. It also referred to a Peshawar High Court (PHC) ruling which held that halting CNG stations curtails lawful business guaranteed under Article 18, affecting thousands of employees. Afridi stressed that restoring the 36-40 MMCFD gas supply to the CNG sector was essential, given the sector’s critical role in transport and the need to avoid costly fuel alternatives. He urged the prime minister to either direct the petroleum division to reverse the curtailment decision or convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) to place the matter on its agenda at the earliest. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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