Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], May 1 (ANI): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's worsening CNG crisis has brought economic activity close to a halt, with hundreds of filling stations closed and millions of people struggling to access affordable fuel, prompting the KP Zone of the All Pakistan CNG Association to seek urgent government intervention, according to Dawn.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, Haji Parvez Khattak, chairman of the All Pakistan CNG Association's KP Zone, called on the provincial government to immediately issue an executive order to resolve the ongoing CNG crisis in the province, which has continued for more than a month.

He said nearly 600 CNG stations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained shut, creating serious difficulties for both the public and business owners. 'CNG supply should have resumed after repairs to major pipelines, including Spen Warm and Shewa-1, but despite that, stations are still not receiving gas,' he said, as cited by Dawn.

Khattak said the situation raised major concerns regarding fairness and governance, alleging that the federal government was continuing to deprive the province's people of their basic rights. He urged the centre to end what he described as the unjust treatment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The association leader stated that around 400,000 vehicles in the province depend on CNG every day because it is the most affordable fuel option for citizens.

He warned that the prolonged suspension of supply was denying people access to a low-cost energy source. 'The CNG sector is saving up to 1.5 million litres of petrol every day, making a significant contribution to foreign exchange savings. Shutting down this sector amounts to economic strangulation of both the public and investors,' he said.

Khattak also pointed out that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produces more than 500 million cubic feet of gas daily, while the province's total demand, including the CNG sector, is around 120 MMCFD. Despite this surplus production, he said the province was still being denied its rightful share, according to the Dawn report. (ANI)