Sharif wants seminar on LNG import from Qatar

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appears to have taken a liking to seminars on all subjects regardless of the controversy and criticism thrown up by them.

As a follow-up to a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCE) this week, the Prime Minister Office directed the secretary of petroleum on Friday to make arrangements for a seminar on the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar.

Addressed to the petroleum secretary, a written directive from the PM Office, said: “in order to highlight and publicise Pakistan’s LNG import policy and related issues, it is desirable to hold a one-day seminar on 28th October, 2015, either at Serena or Marriot Hotel, Islamabad. This seminar should aim at educating professionals, media persons, academics and members of the civil society regarding transparency and adherence to state laws in LNG deals.”

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The letter emphasised a follow-up question-answer session as in most such seminars officials only present the government’s position but don’t take questions.

“The seminar should also have a detailed Q&A session to address concerns of the participants,” the letter said.

Ensuring that the PM Office’s directive doesn’t meet usual official response and for all practical purposes seminar takes place on ground, the secretary petroleum has been asked that “after making necessary arrangements for the subject seminar, lists of participants in the aforementioned categories should be shared with the PM Office.”

At the CCE meeting which was held on Oct 14, the prime minister expressed concern over the failure of the Ministry of Water and Power in addressing queries of government’s critics about various projects.

For example, a number of questions are being raised by media and opposition parties over the transparency in deal for the import of LNG from Qatar

In a recent statement, the PTI said that if the government had nothing to hide in the deal for LNG import, why it wasn’t sharing details about the purchase of its storage and re-gasification to transmission to sale.

PTI leader Asad Umar, who is one of the leading critics of the LNG import, had repeatedly asked the government to share details about the company from which LNG was being purchased and the ownership of that company.

A government official told Dawn that more such seminars would be held in coming days.

He said the prime minister had issued directives to all ministers and federal secretaries to make themselves available for media and civil society through such seminars.

Published in Dawn, October 17th , 2015

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