ISLAMABAD Faced with tough resistance from the CNG Association in form of strikes, the Government is now left with no option but to shift the burden of gas load shedding to the domestic sector, sources told TheNation on Friday. Only a two-day partial strike by the CNG Association forced the Government to listen to them and practically take back the Cabinets decision of two days a week gas holiday for the sector. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Syed Naveed Qamar chaired a marathon session with the representatives of All Pakistan CNG Association (Regd.) led by Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha. Central Chairman CNG Dealers Association of Pakistan Abdul Sami Khan, and Chairman CNG Station Owners Association of Pakistan Malik Khuda Buksh were also part of the delegation under the umbrella of APCNG Association. Failing to resolve the issue upfront, the meeting ended with the appointment of two different committees for looking into to load management and pricing issues separately. We will settle all the issue through mutual consultation, the Minister informed the media after the meeting, indicating that the Government did not bother to consult all the stakeholders in the first place. Although the Minister claimed that the press release issued by the Ministry after the meeting was a joint communiqu, the Association issued its separate statement elaborating their demands and issues. It was also discussed and agreed that if the demand supply situation permits, the CNG sector will be looked after accordingly in the larger interest of CNG consumers and commuters but this will not affect the other sectors of national economy. Gas load management will be implemented in accordance with broad parameters approved by the Cabinet while detailed modalities will be worked out by SNGPL in consultation with CNG associations to address their concerns, stated the Petroleum Ministry press release. Given that the demand is almost 100 percent more than the supply of gas during the peak winter season starting November 15, it was next to impossible to feed the CNG sector without hurting other sectors of the economy, especially the domestic consumers, the sources said. According to the Petroleum Ministry statement, the Minister directed the Managing Director Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) to meet the CNG associations on 17th November 2009 so as to amicably resolve the low-pressure problems that irked the tail-end CNG stations. The Minister also constituted a committee under the Chairmanship of Director General (Gas) to examine the longstanding demand of CNG association for paying industrial tariff, the differential with the petrol prices, among other issues. The meeting will be convened on 18th November 2009. The All Pakistan CNG Association would also meet the Secretary Petroleum & Natural Resources Ministry on 19th November 2009 to discuss their outstanding issues. The All Pakistan CNG Association called off their strike and assured their continued support to the Government in load management. On the other hand, the CNG Associations press release stated that they were to call off the strike and the entire program of protest after the Ministers assurance that supply to filling stations would not be discontinued. Besides, the Minister has also assured the CNG Association that their issues would be addressed on priority basis.