ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping has taken notice of the news reports submission of a fake document as part of successful bid for second LNG terminal at Port Qasim.
In this regard, the committee has sought explanation from the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and Port Qasim Authority on next Thursday.
Port Qasim Authority was established through an act of parliament on June 29, 1973. PQA is the 2nd deep sea industrial-cum-commercial port operating under landlord concept and it is situated in Indus delta region at a distance of 28 nautical miles in the south-east of Karachi.
In June this year, government invited the private sector to step in to invest in setting up a terminal for receiving 200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of LNG, to be expanded to 400 mmcfd for the establishment of second state-of-the-art Liquefied Natural Gas terminal at Port Qasim, Karachi after completion of almost all formalities.
The existing infrastructure barely met the country’s 50 percent demand and the LNG import was critical for development sectors including industry, power and fertilizer production.
A well-placed official source at National Assembly Committee Secretariat, Friday, told this scribe here that committee was very much concerned over the media reports on the above mentioned issue therefore had moved forward an agenda item to the Ministry of Ports and Shipping to update the committee on the said issue.
In this regard, committee secretariat has convened meeting of the committee on Thursday next with main agenda item current scenario about LNG shipment on Port Qasim.
A spokesperson at Ministry of Ports and Shipping also confirmed to this scribe about the receipt of the said agenda by the ministry, saying that concerned section of the ministry had sought full-fledged details along with briefs about the bidding process from the PQA.
Ministry will leave no stone unturned to satisfy the committee on the said issue therefore, concerned officials will attend the meeting fully prepared to respond the pinching queries from the members of the committee’ the source added.
