QUETTA: The provincial leadership of Pashtunkhwa Mili Awami party PKmap has expressed grave concern over the crippling reduction in gas pressure in Quetta during a severe cold wave and recent snowfall, accusing the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) of failing to ensure a uniform supply.
In a strongly-worded statement, Provincial President Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan, alongside senior executives including Syed Sharaf Agha and Majeed Khan Achakzai, highlighted the acute suffering of citizens. They stated that consumers in most populated areas are without gas, exacerbating hardships during freezing temperatures. The crisis is compounded by a sudden increase in prices for alternative fuels like firewood and coal.
The leaders pointedly noted that the federal government had issued clear instructions to ban gas load-shedding across Balochistan, directives which the SSGC is allegedly ignoring. “Sui Southern Gas Company is not serious about supplying gas to the people,” the statement declared.
They called on all SSGC officials, from the zonal and regional heads to the Managing Director and the GM for Quetta-Pishin-Ziarat, to play a serious role in restoring proper gas pressure uniformly across all districts. The statement issued a stark warning linking the gas crisis to environmental degradation, urging action to prevent the “indiscriminate cutting of precious forests” in areas like Ziarat, where residents, deprived of gas, are forced to cut trees for heating and cooking.
The group’s demand underscores a growing public anger over essential service failures in Balochistan, where harsh winter conditions make reliable gas supply a critical need for survival.
