Government Ministers Have Security for Picnics but Not for Gas Pipeline Repairs: JUI-F Quetta
QUETTA: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Quetta district leadership has criticised the provincial government over the prolonged suspension of gas supplies, saying that security is available for government ministers to enjoy picnics in Bolan but not for repairing a gas pipeline supplying the public.
In a joint statement, JUI-F Quetta district leaders, including Maulana Abdul Rahman Rafiq, Haji Ainullah Shams, Maulana Khursheed Ahmed, Abdul Ghani Shehzad and other office-bearers, said the repair of the damaged 18-inch-diameter gas pipeline had been delayed unusually long.
They said the continued delay and what they described as repeated excuses by the gas authorities had caused severe hardship for citizens. Despite several days having passed, gas supplies had not been restored, raising serious questions about the performance of the relevant institutions.
The JUI-F leaders said the damage to the gas pipeline had also led to a sharp increase in LPG prices, making the fuel unaffordable for ordinary people.
They criticised prolonged and unannounced electricity load-shedding during the summer and gas shortages during winter, saying the lack of basic services had made life increasingly difficult for the people.
They said the government’s failure to ensure essential services despite changing weather conditions reflected administrative failure and indifference to public suffering.
The JUI-F leaders further said residents of Quetta, the provincial capital, were deprived of basic facilities including gas, electricity, water, sanitation, healthcare and education.
They stressed that providing basic facilities was the government’s primary responsibility and that public problems could not be resolved through promises and assurances alone.
The leaders demanded that the relevant authorities immediately complete repairs to the damaged gas pipeline and restore gas supplies, saying continued deprivation of basic facilities was clear evidence of governmental indifference and administrative failure.
