ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s major opposition parties have asked the government to make the multibillion-dollar Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) contract that it signed with Qatar in February 2016 public.
“We want the government to make the document public for the sake of transparency,” Fawad Chaudhry, information secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), told Arab News.
“If the government has done nothing wrong, why is it hiding the contract?” he asked. “The government has not even presented the document in parliament, despite our repeated demands.”
Chaudhry said his party was discussing the issue with legal experts and was likely to file a reference against Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi with the country’s anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the largest opposition faction, seconds PTI’s contention.
“This government does not believe in transparency and has failed to unveil the full LNG contract in parliament despite our repeated demands,” PPP Sen. Taj Haider told Arab News.
“We smell a rat in the LNG deal and this must be investigated by anti-graft bodies,” he said, complaining that the government was spending billions of dollars on importing gas instead of developing domestic resources.
“We know that the ruling family of Sharif brothers has personal relations with Qatar’s royal family, and this LNG contract seems to benefit the Qataris more than our own nation,” he added.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi signed off on the $16 billion LNG agreement for 15 years with Qatar in 2016 — when he was minister for petroleum and natural resources — to meet domestic energy requirements.
Briefing senators in October last year, Abbasi defended the agreement, calling it a “big achievement” for Pakistan. However, he claimed the full agreement could not be revealed due to a “commercial confidentiality clause.”
Talking to Arab News, Shahzadi Umerzadi, parliamentary secretary for petroleum and natural resources, also defended the agreement, saying that Pakistan was buying LNG from Qatar at the cheapest possible price and dismissing concerns there is anything unethical or illegal in the contract.
“We negotiated with Qatar for over a year and got the cheapest possible rate with respect to the international market,” she said.
Umerzadi claimed the opposition parties had not provided any evidence of corruption or mismanagement in the LNG contract.
“I challenge them to prove even a penny of corruption or undue influence used in the LNG contract,” she said, adding that the government was willing to present the facts at all available forums.
Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, head of the Awami Muslim League (AML), petitioned the Supreme Court against Prime Minister Abbasi for alleged corruption in the LNG contract. But the court dismissed that petition on Monday, saying the matter should be taken to NAB for investigation.
Senior Advocate Sharafat Ali told Arab News that the Supreme Court had dismissed the petition because the issue did not fall under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, which is related to the protection of fundamental rights.
“The issue of the LNG contract requires detailed investigation to (discover any) corruption or any other element of fraud. Therefore, it must be taken to anti-graft bodies first,” he said.
“Our institutions, unfortunately, lack the expertise to investigate white-collar crime and it is not always easy to trace corruption in government-sponsored contracts such as this one,” he added.
Government hiding truth behind LNG deal with Qatar, say Pakistan opposition parties
Government hiding truth behind LNG deal with Qatar, say Pakistan opposition parties
Satellite firm extends Middle East image delay to prevent use by US adversaries
- SPACE WAR ARENA Militaries rely on space for everything from identifying targets, guiding weapons and tracking missiles to communications
WASHINGTON: California-based Planet Labs has expanded restrictions on accessing its imagery of the Middle East to prevent adversaries from using it to attack the US and its allies, a sign of how the expansion of commercial space business can impact conflicts.
Planet, which operates a large fleet of Earth-imaging satellites and sells frequently updated images to governments, companies and media, told customers on Monday that it was extending restrictions to a period of 14 days from a delay of four days imposed last week.
The move was temporary and in “an effort to limit any uncontrolled distribution of the images that might result in their unintentional access and use as tactical leverage by adversarial actors,” a Planet spokesperson told Reuters in a statement.
“This conflict is dynamic and in many ways unique to others, and thus Planet is taking robust steps to help ensure our images do not contribute in any way to attacks on allied and NATO personnel and civilians,” the spokesperson said. Some space specialists say that Iran could be accessing commercial imagery, including via other US adversaries.
SPACE WAR ARENA Militaries rely on space for everything from identifying targets, guiding weapons and tracking missiles to communications. In a sign of space’s central role in modern warfare, US officials last week said their space forces were among “the first movers” in the operation against Iran.
A US Space Command spokesperson declined to detail the capabilities it used. Space Command is responsible for helping with missile tracking, secure communications and using Pentagon satellites as overwatch for US and joint forces on the ground. While high-quality satellite imagery used to be the preserve of advanced space powers, access to commercial satellite imagery has leveled the playing field, as Ukraine has experienced during its war with Russia. Now, satellite operators are deploying AI to help speed up the ability to analyze imagery and identify areas of interest.
“This expert analysis used to be the preserve of high-end military analysts, not anymore,” said Chris Moore, a defense industry consultant and retired air vice-marshal in the British military.
“Ultimately it will create an all-seeing eye from space that will make the concealment of military forces and deception operations difficult to achieve.”
