All Pakistan Compressed Natural Gas Association has demanded gas tariff as equal to other sectors to cut down CNG retail price, said Chairman Supreme Council APCNGA Ghiyas Paracha while addressing press conference here on Tuesday.

APCNG suggested Federal Adviser Dr Asim having Canadian nationality should go back to Canada that would be better.He blamed the persisting CNG crisis is failure of government policies and all this set by concern authorities making commission by introducing Liquid Natural Gas and Liquid Petroleum Gas. He said continuous gas loadshedding still not solve the problem of gas shortages.

Concerned authorities should stop the theft of gas to control the situation. Gayas said gas crisis has been increasing day by day since Dr Asim took the charge as Minister of Petroleum. Gayas said CNG filling stations have been closed since two and a half months, which was resulting in rusting machinery jeopardising investments to the tune of Rs 400 billion.

CNG sector is totally dependent on provision of gas while gas is being provided to other sectors, which have other options available for energy. The CNG sector consuming seven per cent gas is being victimised systematically while those involved in gas theft to the tune of fourteen percent are being encouraged, he lamented.

He said the govt policy against CNG affects investment of Rs 140 billion of car owners and Rs 240 billion of CNG station owners including 400,000 labourers suffered due to unemployment. He said transport sector has been badly hit leaving millions more insecure while adding to the miseries of general public.

Answering to a question, he said the Association challenged Dr Asim for a debate to prove the over pricing and if he proved they will shut their businesses. It is our right to make 1-1.5 lacks profit on monthly basis after investment of Rs 50-60m each CNG station. The latest pricing formula was made in violation of all the rules, regulations and norms while gas prices and taxes were not reduced as demanded.

The protest against government polices will continued in different parts of the country and if the government did not accept their demands they will gathered all the CNG concerns in Islamabad, he added.