PML-N, MQM walk out of NA on gas crisis

The protesting MPs of both parties demanded the government to address the gas issue immediately. Their protest coincided with protests of angry citizens across the country, including in federal capital Islamabad where a vehicle was torched by protesters during the day.Earlier, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani expressed concerns at the Energy’s Committee failure to tackle energy crisis and issued directions to formulate a programme for minimizing load shedding.Prime Minister Gilani chaired meeting of Energy Committee to review the contingency plan for power generation during the canals closure, an annual feature for desilting of the canals.“Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani expressed concerns over power outages and asked the energy committee to minimize the load shedding on immediate bases,” an official, who attended the meeting, said on the condition of anonymity.According to the official handout, Prime Minister directed the Energy Committee comprising Finance Minister, Minister for Water and Power, Minister for Petroleum, Governor State Bank and Deputy Chairman Planning to formulate a programme for minimizing the load shedding and maximizing the production of electricity during the canals closure.