AL, JP rattle sabre over gas export bid

State Minister for Energy A K M Mosharraf Hossain told newsmen on Friday that a decision on gas export might be reached at a meeting to be chaired by the prime minister on August 17.

Top leaders of Awami League and Jatiya Party (Ershad) said only surplus gas should be exported after meeting domestic need while Jatiya Party (Manju) is dead against export under any circumstances.

Main opposition Awami League has threatened an all-out movement along with other political parties if the government eventually decides to go for gas export.

"We are not against gas export, but any export should be out of the surplus amount after meeting domestic demands by our industry and power plants and ensuring a reserve for 50 years," AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil told UNB.

He also dismissed as a mere propaganda the state minister's statement that the AL had prepared all the groundwork for pipeline export of gas.

Former president and Jatiya Party Chairman H M Ershad echoed AL's views saying, "We are against gas export without ensuring sufficient reserve and people will not accept it either."

Ershad said industrial growth in the southern and northern regions has been hampered because there are no gas connections.

Jatiya Party Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju MP vehemently opposed gas export even if there is adequate reserve.

Manju, a former energy minister, said Bangladesh has the technological know-how for hydrocarbon exploration and asked why the government now requires foreign investment in this sector.

"When three-fourths of the people do not have electricity, why should the question of gas export ever arise," he said pointing out that the northwestern and southwestern regions are starving for gas energy.

Referring to the discovery of oil in the mid 1980s at Haripur in Sylhet, Manju said, "As a former energy minister, I want to know the fate of that oil field."

He said if any decision is taken for gas export, "this government would be held responsible," adding that "Of these two democratic governments -- the AL and BNP-led alliance -- one has created the background and the other is giving the full shape to it (gas export)."