The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has flatly refused to pay Rs75 billion worth of “additional” LNG bills issued between 2015 and 2022, terming them “unfair.”

Addressing a joint press conference in Lahore, senior FPCCI leaders, including Ahsan Tanveer, Zain Iftikhar Chaudhry, Zaki Ijaz, and Manzoorul Haq Malik, accused gas authorities of burdening the business community with “unfair” charges.

They appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to intervene, saying that if the bills were not withdrawn, industries across the country could be forced to shut down.

The FPCCI leaders said departments of Sui Gas and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) were unjustly overcharging businesses under the guise of gas and electricity adjustments.

They warned that the community would not hesitate to take the matter to court.

“If industries close, the government will be solely responsible,” they cautioned.

Zain Iftikhar Chaudhry, FPCCI Regional Chairman, and Vice President Zaki Ijaz further urged the government to take notice of officials harassing the business community and to provide immediate relief from what they described as exploitative LNG billing practices.