ISLAMABAD: The Petroleum Division of the Ministry of Energy on Tuesday distanced itself from the policy of gas disconnection to industrial Captive Power Plants (CPPs) and alleged that massive capacity payments, over Rs2.1 trillion for the current fiscal year alone in the power sector, had been contracted for the elite’s air conditioners and debt financing.

This was the crux of the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum meeting presided over by Senator Umer Farooq. Petroleum Minister Dr Musadik Malik told the panel that the government had signed agreements to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the power sector, where LNG consumption was continuously declining.

He said that, on average, Pakistan imported one billion cubic feet of LNG per day (1BCFD), but the overall basket price of gas........

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