Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi jointly condemned the federal government on Monday for suspending the gas supply to the province, calling on the Centre to uphold KP’s constitutional rights. Speaking at a joint press conference in Peshawar, CM Afridi highlighted the closure of CNG stations across KP due to the gas shortage.
He emphasized that Article 158 of the Constitution grants gas-producing provinces priority over their resources. Afridi asserted that the people of KP should not be subjected to further hardships caused by decisions made without provincial consultation. He accused the federal government of engaging in unlawful and unconstitutional practices concerning various development projects, including the unjust deduction of Rs12 billion allocated for the merged tribal districts.
Describing the gas suspension as illegal, Afridi urged all stakeholders to reject any unconstitutional actions against KP. On security matters, he stated that peace could be restored within 100 days if federal interference ceased and a collaborative strategy with the provincial government was adopted.
Governor Kundi questioned whether KP’s “fault” was producing gas and electricity for the nation, pointing out that the province supplies affordable energy and minerals to the country. He stressed that if KP received its rightful share of water, it would not need to import wheat. The governor also reminded that KP is already bearing the brunt of terrorism, sacrificing police and army personnel, and warned that denying provincial rights would be a grave injustice.
Kundi noted that the public has already endured sacrifices through increased petrol and electricity prices and is now being tested by the CNG crisis. He confirmed ongoing communications with the federal government, demanding an end to this treatment of KP. The governor appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address the province’s concerns with urgency comparable to other national issues.
Separately, CM Afridi sent a letter to the prime minister urging immediate action to resolve the gas supply problem. The letter detailed that KP produces about 494 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas, while its consumption is only 120 mmcfd. The province’s CNG sector requires between 36 and 40 mmcfd, but this gas has been redirected to the fertilizer industry.
Afridi warned that the continued suspension of gas to the CNG sector could trigger unrest and law and order challenges in KP. He highlighted the transport sector’s heavy reliance on CNG and cautioned that switching to costlier fuels would increase the financial burden on the public. The chief minister called on the prime minister to promptly restore gas supply to the CNG sector and to convene a Council of Common Interests meeting with this issue as a priority on the agenda.
