Senate committee condemns termination of 15 inter gas system employees

The Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum has condemned the termination of 15 regular employees of Inter Gas System (Private) Limited,

Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum has condemned the termination of 15 regular employees of Inter Gas System (Private) Limited, raising concerns about their future in a country facing unemployment. The committee questioned the way the employees were removed and directed the company to explain its hiring and termination policies and provide a complete list of those affected at its next meeting.

The committee also questioned the delay in providing gas connections to residents of Qila Mubarak Town in Quetta, where a project initially estimated at Rs5 million has now reached a stage where the contractor is demanding Rs11.5 million for the same work. The committee held the concerned department responsible for the delay and questioned the legality of issuing a fresh demand notice to residents who had already been asked to pay.

The Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum met at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Manzoor Ahmed. Senators Saadia Abbasi, Qurat ul Ain Marri, Jam Saifullah Khan, Abdul Wassy and Zameer Hussain Ghumro attended the meeting, while Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti participated through Zoom.

During the meeting, employees of Inter Gas System presented their complaints over the termination of their regular services. They told the committee that the company’s operational projects had not been discontinued, raising questions about the decision to remove them from their jobs.

The company’s human resources representative informed the committee that the cost of maintaining its workforce had been rising gradually. After four meetings of the Board of Directors, the company decided to terminate 15 employees, including two members of the executive staff.

One of the affected employees told the committee that workers had been informed that the company’s operations would close within two to three months. The employees also said they had received two months’ salary as compensation and that their services were terminated when they arrived at their offices in the morning.

Committee Chairman Senator Manzoor Ahmed expressed concern over the manner in which the employees were dismissed. He observed that the termination of permanent employees must follow the prescribed legal procedure, including proper notice to the employees concerned.

The chairman was particularly concerned about workers who were around 50 years old, questioning how they would find new employment at this stage of their careers in an environment marked by unemployment.

The committee condemned the termination of regular employees without adequate consideration of their future employment prospects. It directed the company to submit its employment criteria, including the rules for appointing and terminating staff, along with a complete list of the affected employees at the next meeting.

The company’s human resources department briefed the committee on the procedure followed in the dismissals. However, the committee decided that the matter required further examination and ordered another briefing at its next meeting. The committee’s criticism does not by itself establish that the terminations were unlawful, and the company’s explanation and employment records are still to be examined.

The committee also took up the difficulties faced by residents of Qila Mubarak Town in Quetta, who have been waiting for gas connections for around three years. The chairman informed members that Rs5 million had been available for the project, but the contractor had now demanded Rs11.5 million to carry out the same work.

Officials informed the committee that the government’s ban on new gas connections had delayed the project for approximately three years. During this period, the cost of the work had increased because prices of materials and other items had risen.

The committee, however, observed that the concerned department was responsible for the delay because it had already issued a demand notice to residents. It questioned the issuance of a fresh demand notice under these circumstances and described the step as unlawful, holding the department responsible for the difficulties faced by the residents.

Members discussed a possible way to avoid further delays. Under the proposal, the department could lay the gas pipelines and complete the necessary infrastructure without releasing gas into the network while the ban remained in force. Gas could then be supplied through the installed pipelines once restrictions on extending the network were lifted.

The committee stressed that the department should take steps to resolve the matter and provide relief to the affected residents. The proposal would allow infrastructure work to move ahead while gas supply remained restricted, subject to the relevant approvals and requirements.

The committee also reviewed the progress made on recommendations issued during its meetings on September 1 and September 17, 2026.

Two other matters, the proposed relocation of Pakistan Petroleum Limited’s headquarters from Karachi to Islamabad and a review of the ownership structure of Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited, were deferred for a later meeting.

The committee decided to seek further details on the employee terminations and continue examining the gas connection issue to ensure that the concerns of affected workers and residents are properly addressed.