Loud Thinking

Posts Tagged ‘gas’

The H’able Prime Minister of Pakistan,

AOA.

Your honour seems to be absolutely oblivious of the living conditions of the poorest of the poor in Pakistan. Otherwise, how it was possible that again very cruelly, your government has announced the increase in the price of the poor man’s fuel i. e., KEROSINE OIL, which after an increase of Rs.4.71 per litre, will now cost Rs.105.99 (virtually Rs.106) per litre.

Perhaps, your honour may be aware that kerosene – which is mostly used in cooking stoves in remote areas where Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is not readily available – and LPG too is so expensive that poorest of the poor cant even think of using this fuel.

Sir, it looks your advisors have forced you to govern Pakistan like a cruel king, by squeezing the poor and honest people, with every now and then increase of prices of essential commodities, e.g., fuel, gas, electricity plus simply enhancing taxation rates, which impacts each and every item, in the use of the common man.

Your honour may or may not be aware of the fact, that the impact of your government’s policies has also started affecting the middle class society of the country; and people have started withdrawing their children from good public schools. This situation is a real cause of alarm for your government, which claims to have been formed, with the votes of the masses.

It looks your government is absolutely gone out of sync with the ground realities being faced by the teeming millions; and your advisors have totally shut their eyes to seek any out of the box solutions, for ameliorating the sufferings of the masses, in non traditional and revolutionary manners. The main reason for this approach of your advisors is that they don’t belong to the masses cadre (no doubt some of them are ultra rich) and thus, they are the forces, who support the status quo.

Anyway, I would like to invite your kind attention towards the below mentioned news item; in which case, if you pursue it with missionary zeal (this was your election promise as well), Pakistan’s all economic woes will end, like the movement of a magic wand.

Mr. Prime Minister, whether you want to be remembered as a run of the mill ordinary ruler, or as a cut above the rest, who changed the fate of the nation, the choice is in your hands. However, it must be remembered again, that with the current direction and outdated strategy of your government, the posterity will surely remember you, standing in line with rulers like Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani etc.

So, Sir, if you want to create a name for yourself in the realms of the history, just break the status quo; and surround your honour with the advisors, who have a connect with the masses and have the guts to call a spade a spade, in your presence.

Pakistan has 97 billion dollars in Swiss Banks: Director Swiss Bank

A news published on 18 September, 2011, by the daily “Pakistan Today”

BERN – Director Swiss Bank said that Pakistan has 97 billion dollars in Swiss Banks. Director Swiss Bank said ‘Pakistanis are poor but Pakistan isn’t a poor country.’

He added that 97 billion dollars of Pakistan is deposited in respective bank and if this money would be utilized for the welfare of Pakistan and its people then Pakistan can make tax less budget for 30 years, can create 60 million jobs, can carpet four lanes road from any village to Islamabad, endless power supply to five hundred social projects, every citizen can get 20000 rupees salary for the next 60 years and there is no need to see IMF and any World Bank for loans.

My comments posted subsequently on the above news.

“Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad · 101 weeks ago
The news reported in Pakistan Today that Swiss banks have 97 billion dollars is a smoke screen to mislead the general public. By no means this figure can be less than 200 billion dollars i.e. more than three times the existing foreign debt of Pakistan. Leaving aside the exact amount of Pakistan in the Swiss banks, our civilian government & parliament, military establisment, bench and bar & the media must devise some mechanism (following the US government initiative with the Swiss government) to very strongly take up the issue with Swiss government to return back our money deposited in Swiss banks. This is all the more necessary to stabilize the country to successfully fight the war on terror for the entire world.”

Wishing you godspeed and all the success in your endeavours, to serve the country in the best possible manner.

Sincerely yours,

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad

امریکہ شرم تم کو مگر نھیں آتی

America! you don’t seemed to be ashamed of yourself..!

America wants to single out ONLY Pakistan in the whole world, for doing any trade with IRAN.

A sensational & eye opening news published by the “Times of Oman” on 28 August, 2013.

Oman, Iran gas supply deal valued at $60b

byAFP

August 28, 2013 , 8 : 25 am

Tehran: Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday to export gas to Oman from 2015, in a 25-year deal valued at around $60 billion, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said yesterday.

Zanganeh said Iran and Oman had “signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a gas pipeline” under the Sea of Oman, on the east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the official Irna news agency said.

The construction would “soon” commence once “research on different routes” is completed, he said while hailing the agreement as “the largest economic deal” between Iran and Oman.

Zanganeh said the estimated value of the contract was around $60 billion, based on current gas prices. His remarks came after talks with Omani officials during the visit by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Oman plants can produce up to 10.4 million tonnes of LNG a year but has not produced more than 8.8 million in the last five years and output fell to 8.4 million in 2012, according to Oman LNG’s latest annual report.

According to a working copy of the 2007 pact between the two countries, in addition to imports of one billion cubic feet per day of gas from Iran for domestic use, Oman would allocate two million metric tonnes per year in excess capacity at its Oman LNG plant to process Iranian gas for export.

Link:-
http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-21635.aspx

A must read for the PM Pakistan, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal and the entire cabinet of wise men and women

“Power policy”

By Dr Farrukh Saleem
Sunday, July 28, 2013
From Print Edition of the daily “The News”.

Capital suggestion

Thirty percent of the new power policy makes sense. Seventy percent of the new power policy is poppycock. The PML-N wants to deliver. Delivery has three pre-requisites: intention, planning and capacity to implement. The PML-N seems well intentioned and is engaged in some sort of planning as well. In my analysis, capacity is the missing link.

Here’s the sensible part of the policy: smart feeders, re-prioritisation of gas allocation, furnace oil priority for efficient plants and performance contracts with Discos. Furthermore, holding the board of directors responsible, energy-saving bulbs and decentralisation are all steps in the right direction. Other sensible elements include a federal adjuster, external collection agencies, prepaid meters, key client managers and time-of-day metering.

Now the poppycock. We will convert to coal. Imagine: we would need 100,000 tons of coal a day while our current production is 8,000 tons. Realistically, Thar coal will need five to eight years plus a few billion dollars. Time we don’t have, billions we don’t have.

Lo and behold, the power policy does not talk about the two elephants in our power sector. First, our IPPs are running some of the most inefficient power plants on the face of the planet. Second, the government has already resolved to jack up the tariff. The truth is that Pakistan’s IPPs have no incentive to become efficient and Pakistan’s IPPs are massively over billing – and still getting paid.

More poppycock. We will import coal. Imagine: we need to import 100,000 tons a day while our ports are currently handling 6,000 tons a day. Plus, a multibillion dollar logistical and supply-chain infrastructure to transport all that imported coal to the power plants day-in-day-out. Time we don’t have, billions we don’t have.

Even more poppycock: the China connection. The truth is that China is converting its own coal plants to LNG and the truth is that the world outside China is no longer willing to finance coal plants.

Amazingly, the power policy does not talk about the two elephants in the room. One, Nepra the abettor not the regulator, and our oil-guzzling, hugely inefficient IPPs. The truth is that our power plants are gulping down anywhere from 24 kg to 46 kg of furnace oil to produce 100 kWh whereby the world outside Pakistan produces 100kWh with 14 kg of oil. Shockingly, the power policy does not talk about the two elephants in the room. One, our IPPs raking in annual returns of 35 percent to 45 percent. Two, the PPP government also jacked up the tariff that sunk the industrial sector, increased the incentive to steal and doubled the circular debt.

The truly sad truth is that the government of Pakistan (GoP) has signed contracts with the IPPs on behalf of the poor residents of Pakistan. And those contracts have produced only two losers – Pakistan and its even poorer residents. Call it incompetence, another case of public money private greed or a little of both.

Why don’t we accept that the GoP and the IPPs are united in an unholy matrimony? Wedded till 2025 (read: sovereign guarantees). And, regardless of what we put in – oil, gas or coal – our IPPs in their current state of affairs are bound to produce expensive electricity.

We need a Nepra on steroids. We need Nepra to hold IPPs by their necks to improve their efficiency and produce cheaper power.

PS: Who has really formulated this policy? The GoP or the IPP lobby? Elite capture of policy is “where resources transferred designated for the benefit of the poor population are usurped by a few individuals of superior status”.

The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. Email: farrukh15@hotmail.com

Twitter: @saleemfarrukh

Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister of Pakistan, may we ask that you also being the leader of the house in the Parliament, when will you awake and sack your Minister for water and power for his contempt of the parliament, in telling the biggest lie of the year to the nation, that too, on the floor of the house, that electricity load shedding has been terminated. 

Sir, believe me these silly persons have made your government and the PPP look as the most irresponsible and callous government, ever witnessed by this planet. People faced the hardships of all the load shedding of electricity, gas and water, they also borne the burden of price hikes of every conceivable item in their daily lives, they also put up bravely with all the law and order chaos and mega corruption scandals, but please don’t be so heartless by further rubbing salt into their wounds already inflicted by your most inefficient government.

All the previous tenures of the dictators in Pakistan look like an era of paradise, if compared with your regime of last four years.

In fact, now you and your government has become a laughing stock. Hope you remember that in early November, 2011 Dr. Asim, your another talented minister for minister for gas & natural resources, boasted that gas load shedding will end in the year 2012. 

Mr. PM, then you have the audacity to say every now and then that there are conspiracies against the democracy. Sir, with this inept performance, who needs to conspire against you. 

Remember, if you will not act, someone else will. Don’t create your own demise. Since, elections   are almost due, it is humbly suggested to pull up your socks and start delivering immediately. 

You and your government must know that future is not ahead of you, it has already happened. Unfortunately, it is more ruthless and callous, then all of you combined in the government. It grinds slowly but it’s mesh is very very fine.

With best of the hope that you will act, before it’s too late. You are not only the Prime Minister of Pakistan but you are also the custodian of the great & shining legacy, image and reputation of the Shaheeds Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.