Are We Really Gas Deficient‪?‬

Byline: Durdana Najam The industrialised era cannot move an inch without fuel. Can we enjoy that delicious hot cappuccino without the froth that the coffee machine makes possible? We have machines all around us. We need every bit of them to make our lives easier and comfortable. Fuel comes in a lot many varieties with petrol and gas topping the category because of their easy extraction and consumption patterns. The availability of fuel has become a major issue recently in Pakistan for two reasons. One; for almost two decades no effort has been made to generate energy up to level that could allow industry to flourish in Pakistan. Two; since the hunt for energy was absent, new sources to produce energy were never discovered, located or even identified. This combination of stymied political will and crippled economic vision has put Pakistan on the road of an ailing economy. The truth is that with 99 per cent of our industries working on the margin we have lost most of our production, manufacturing and export share to India, Bangladesh and even to Turkey. Due to power and gas load shedding, around 35 per cent tanner units in the country have established production facilities in China and Africa, as almost 40 per cent of textile, garments and knitwear units have already moved to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other countries.