| For some it might seem like development, but for the Baloch nationalists it is the plunder of their national, natural resources and exploitation of their people. We are not blind to not see the rape of Balochistan by the Punjabi Pakistan |
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| President wants exploration work
expedited: Balochistan tribal areas ISLAMABAD, Sept 11: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that tribal areas in Balochistan should be opened up for petroleum exploration within a fortnight to catch up with the fast depleting gas reserves in the country. He issued this directive at a meeting which was called to break 14 years of inactivity that had marred exploration in Balochistan. The meeting held a day after rockets hit Quetta on Monday. Official sources told Dawn that the chief executive was given a briefing about the overall oil and gas reserves and the exploration status, concession areas granted to various companies and their periods during which they had been unable to start exploration. The chief executive directed the three-member ministerial committee, comprising interior minister, petroleum minister and the governor of Balochistan, to resolve the issue in the next few days. The chief executive told the meeting that he would personally review the situation after returning from the United States where he would attend the United Nations General Assembly session. He said the exploration process should be expedited through the involvement of local population. Over 20 local and multinational companies are involved in exploration activities across the province but they have not been able to make any progress. The meeting also discussed the deliberations of the special cabinet committee on petroleum exploration in Balochistan held with the chiefs of all exploration and production companies on Aug 28 in Quetta. An official said the government had decided to accept all genuine demands of the local population to restore their confidence and increase their involvement in the exploration process, but not to allow terrorist elements to sabotage development activities. The official said it was agreed that certain percentage of royalty on gas be spent on development activities but through the provincial government. Top tribal leaders had earlier indicated to allow local and multinational companies to start exploration in Balochistan provided Islamabad launched through them a multi-million dollar development package. The government had offered four major incentives to people of Balochistan: (a) one-time signature bonus at the time of signing of the agreement with tribal leaders and landowners through political agents and local administration for social welfare, (b) up to 2.5 per cent royalty to landowners and sardars out of the 12.5pc royalty currently collected by the provinces, (c) production bonus at the rate of $0.5 million to tribal leaders/ landowners payable at the time of commercial production in accordance with the 1994-97 petroleum policy (d) jobs, civil facilities, schools and hospitals for the local population. An investigation carried out by the CE secretariat last month observed that rocket attacks might have come due to three reasons: resentment of local populace for non-initiation of welfare package, reliance of the company on levies for protection of mobile columns instead of Frontier Constabulary, and ignoring the provincial government/local civil administration in matters regarding security and survey. The provincial governor, ministers for interior and petroleum, heads of Oil and Gas Development Corporation and the Pakistan Petroleum attended the meeting. By Staff Reporter Dawn 12.9.01 |
| Balochistan on sale once again QUETTA: Once again, the Privatisation Commission is offering the machinery of the Lasbela Textile Mills on sale to non Baloch textile tycoons of Pakistan. The Commission placed an advertisement in selected newspapers informing the textile tycoons that once against the machinery of Lasbela Textile Mills will be auctioned. A few months back, the Privatisation Commission failed to sell the machinery to the tycoons, as they were not ready to buy it at the minimum price fixed by experts. Thus the previous auction fizzled out. This time, the Privatisation Commission is seem to be determined to sell it, closing a bright chapter of Balochistan’s economy forever. Once the machinery is sold, the assets worth over Rs. Three billion will go waste. Those assets have no value without the 50,000 spindles capable of producing over 80,000 meters of fine quality clothes. Last time, the newspapers with harsh comments compelled the Privatisation Commission to cancel the auction. Now against, presumably under a new strategy, the Privatisation Commission wants to ear a few crores only by selling the valuable assets of the people of Balochistan. The Iranians provided the finances with the hope that it would create some 16,000 jobs for the Baloch people. Ten Thousand jobs at Uthal and 6,000 at Quetta. The Federal Government also made a significant contribution by developing the infrastructure, constructing the mills, the labour and officers colony and huge warehouses and other facilities. Most modern machinery was bought from China and Japan for producing fine quality products at both the textile mills. The mills went into production for a year or so. However, the corrupt and dishonest Pakistani (Punjabi) officials of the Ministry of Production inflicted heavy losses through pilferage. Ultimately, the Government closed the mills as it was incurring losses. However, the workforce did perform their duty by defending the machinery and kept it in finest shape to this date. They do hope that one day, the Government will resume production at both the mills and thus their 16,000 jobs will be defended and the country earns foreign exchange. At one stage, the Iranians again came to the help of the Government by offering to purchase the entire production of both the Pak-Iran Textile Mills. The offer was made during the peak years of Gulf war when the Iranian needed clothes for the people fighting on the front line. The corrupt and dishonest Pakistani (Punjabi) officials made a counter offer saying that they would make the clothes available from the open market and not by resuming production. At this stage, it is strange when Balochistan is producing better quality cotton from Punjab and Sindh. At present, over 80,000 acres is under cotton crop in Sibi, Lasbela, Mekran, Khuzdar regions which is very close to the both the closed textile mills. Balochistan will be self sufficient in cotton production needing no import from Sindh or Punjab for providing raw material for both the mills. At present, over Rs. Three billions are at stake. The entire buildings and assets valued around Rs. 3 billion. If the Government sells the machinery, then the whole assets will go waste. It will be left to be used by the security forces for their camps. It will not be productive in economic terms. It may provide some comfortable offices and residential accommodation in uniforms, but it will not mitigate the economic sufferings of the people, nor it will take the country to economic revival or prosperity of the country in general. It is the duty of the Balochistan Government to stop auctioning of Balochistan’s valuable assets if it is not involved in lip service or sincerely desires to defend the 16,000 jobs for which senior Baloch leaders undertook a visit to Iran and made a request to late Shahan shah to establish the Textile Mills. |
| Govt ready to hold talks with tribal leaders, says Moin: Oil and gas exploitation QUETTA, Aug 27: Federal Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider has said the government was ready to hold negotiations with concerned people on the issue of exploitation of oil and gas in Balochistan. Speaking at a press conference soon after presiding over the fifth inter-provincial committee meeting on law and order here on Monday, he said the government was ready to hold talks on oil and gas exploitation, of the province and extending facilities to masses in Punjab. To a question, he said that the government had initiated dialogues with the tribal elders of Balochistan on the issue of oil and gas exploration, which had yielded positive results and the government wanted to continue this process. The minister said that Balochistan was full of natural resources but the province was ignored by the previous governments which did nothing for its development. However, the present government was making all efforts to brig this backward province at par with other provinces of the country. He said unfortunately certain elements were creating hurdles in the way of exploitation of natural resources, including oil and gas in the province. Moinuddin Haider said despite all such activities the government had prepared a development package for the people of Sui and Dera Bugti, which included provision of education, health and other facilities. He said Balochistan was getting royalty on natural gas while a large number of people had got jobs. Referring to the inter-provincial committee meeting, the minister said that issues like law and order, smuggling, elimination of terrorist activities, de-weaponisation campaign, end of sectarianism and violence were discussed at the meeting. He said the government had decided to continue its efforts to eliminate sectarianism from the country as it was weakening the foundation of the country. He said the meeting also decided to continue the de-weaponisation campaign launched in June. "We will continue our campaign against illegal weapons to cleanse the society of this menace," Mr Haider said, adding that till Aug 24, 111,000 weapons had been recovered or surrendered under the campaign. "We have decided to accelerate the pace of de-weaponisation campaign. We will also recover arms from the activists of sectarian outfits and would not allow any person or party to keep such weapons with them," the minister said. Mr Haider said with strict measures taken by the government the practice of display of arms had stopped and in this connection the Jihadi organizations were also complying with the government's directives. Referring to the replacement of Police Act, the interior minister said that work on the new police act and reforms was under progress and it was expected that the new police law would be introduced in October. "Police is very responsible force and we want to make it more responsible through reforms," the minister remarked and dispelled the impression that with these reforms, the police would be given more powers to use against the people. To a question, he said that the government had no plan to impose ban on Jihadi organizations, as they were not violating the law. However, they had been asked not to display arms. They were also directed to remove their donation collection boxes. He said ban on Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Sipah-i-Muhammad was being implemented effectively and around 300 activists of both the sectarian organizations had been arrested in Punjab and Sindh. When asked about incidents of bomb blasts in the country including Quetta, the minister said involvement of foreign hand could not be ruled out. He said the law enforcement agencies had arrested some people involved in these blasts. |
| Smaller nations endeavouring for their due rights: Achakzai QUETTA: Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Acting Convenor of Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONAM) has said smaller nations would not allow Punjab to utilize the natural resources of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan just for the development of Islamabad and Lahore. Speaking at a public meeting at Pishin some 55 km from here on Friday evening, he said that PONAM was the only alliance of the oppressed nations who could protect the just rights of smaller provinces. He said that Punjab’s rulers were looting the resources of these small provinces for the last 50 years and Islamabad did nothing for the up lift of these small provinces especially for backward Balochistan. Mr. Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who is chairman of the Pushtoon Khawa Milli Awami Party, claimed that it was Islamabad and Punjabi rulers who deprived the people of Balochistan of their political, constitutional, economic and democratic rights. He said that Islamabad never taken the leadership of smaller provinces into confidence while taking important decision regarding internal and external affairs. He said that the people of smaller nations were not against the country, they were only struggling for the achievement of their due rights on the equal basis and they were not ready to abandon their struggle in this connection. Mr. Achakzai said that country could not be keep intact through imposing polices forcibly. “Country could be keep intact only to recognize the equal rights of all the five nations which were living in Pakistan”, he said. He called upon all the political groups of the smaller provinces they should get united for a joint struggle for the achievement of their national rights. He said that as for as PONAM is concerned it would not compromise on the national rights of all the four oppressed nations. The leader of PMAP strongly criticized the Taliban leadership for ordering to demolish the sculptures, as it was cultural heritage of Afghanistan. Earlier, Taj Mohammad Langha, Abdul Khaliq Kanjo, Sana Baloch, Malik Abdul Wali Kakar, Abdul Rahim Mandokhel and Abdul Rauf also addressed the public meeting. Saturday, March 10, 2001 |
| Amir-ul-Mulk Mengal assures full cooperation to oil companies QUETTA: Delegations of Tullo Pakistan Limited and Lasmo Oil Pakistan Ltd. called on Governor Balochistan Justice (R) Amir-ul-Mulk Mengal separately here on Wednesday. Both the companies have been issued licences for oil and gas exploration in Balochistan. The delegations informed the Governor that they have chalked out programme for development of the areas where they would start work in order to provide basic facilities to the local people. These facilities included schools, dispensaries, drinking water and social welfare schemes. These companies when start working would also provide jobs to local people. The Governor assured them of all possible cooperation and security. |
| Two
licenses granted for oil exploration ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday granted a petroleum exploration licence to a joint venture of Union Texas Pakistan (UTP), Occidental Petroleum and Government Holdings for exploration in Mehran Block in Thatta district. The Mehran Block covers approximately 577.42 sq kms. Another petroleum exploration licence was granted to Ocean Pakistan Corporation and Government Holdings for the Offshore Makran Central Block No 2462-4 covering approximately 6,000 sq kms. Simultaneously, petroleum concession agreements for the above blocks were also signed by the parties. Under the terms of the exploration licence granted for a period of three years, UTP will conduct geological and geophysical studies, acquire 70 kms of 3D seismic data and drill four exploratory wells. The total commitment in the Mehran Block is $5,070,000. The block is contiguous with UTP's earlier Badin concession. Under the work programme agreed with the government for the Makran Central Block, Ocean Pakistan will carry out geological and geophysical studies and acquire, process and evaluate a minimum of 200 sq kms of 3D seismic data amounting to $1.1 million. This minimum commitment will be part of a much larger 3D seismic programme covering nearly 2,100 sq kms in the three Makran blocks operated by the company. The total cost of the overall programme is estimated at over $10 million. UTP has drilled 120 exploratory wells and has made 53 successful oil discoveries in Pakistan with the result that it is now the largest producer of oil in the country. Its total oil production has now reached 24,000 barrels per day and its total gas production is about 200 million cubic feet a day. UTP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BP Group, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies. Ocean Pakistan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ocean Energy Inc. The petroleum concession agreements for Mehran Block & Offshore Makran Central Block were signed by Tousaf Abdullah, Secretary Petroleum and Natural Resources on behalf of the President of Pakistan, Shahid Ahmad, Director General Petroleum Concessions on behalf of Government Holdings, David Knox, President UTP, Dick Oringderff, President Occidental Petroleum and Kamil Lodhi, General Manager Ocean Pakistan Corporation. |
| Sui Gas Companies denying jobs to local engineers QUETTA: Unemployed diploma engineers have accused all the gas companies operating in Balochistan with its base on Sui gas fields of violating all past agreements signed by their respective Managing Director in 1989. Addressing a news conference at the Quetta Press Club, Mr. Naseer Bugti, claimed that the companies including the PPL, SSGC, OGDC, SGNPL and Sui gas fields and other subsidiaries denied local people jobs though they qualified. President of the Jobless Diploma Holders Association said that the companies first violated the agreement in 1990 and later on in 1993 and now they have recruited 86 more. In all more than 200 aliens were given jobs in Sui Gas related companies while the local and qualified engineers were denied job. He termed it a complete discrimination to Baloch people. He also released a list of people from other provinces given jobs with the comments that the Federal Government controlled organisations and companies are determined to keep Baloch people out of the jobs in future also. Naseer Bugti claimed that it was contrary to commitments pledged by the Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf that Balochistan and its people were discriminated in the past and now his Government would compensate it. Giving the details of their agitation, Naseer Bugti said that his and his other associates were rounded up following protest against the recruitment policy of the PPL, SSGC, OGDC and other companies. He said when 86 people from other provinces were brought to Sui Gas fields at Sui in Bugti Tribal Area for training, the jobless and qualified engineers registered their protest when they met officials of the local administration and representatives of the companies. “Our colleagues who went on hunger strike were rounded up, taken to police station and later on shifted to Sibi, in December last ” Mr. Naseer Bugti said. He said that most of the arrested engineers were locked in police station and later on shifted to Sibi District Jail where they continued their hunger strike. When the conditions of hunger strikers deteriorated, some of them were shifted to the hospital for treatment. He claimed that parents and close relatives of the hunger strikers were threatened by the local administration and senior officials of the gas companies. But the hunger strikers ignored it and continued their protest against the discriminatory policies of the gas companies exploiting the natural gas of Balochistan. He said on Feb. 6 last, the Sibi administration expelled all the patients and hunger strikers from the hospitals leaving them on the streets. Parents of the protesters arranged transport and send their kith and kin to Bugti Tribal area while he and some other colleagues came to Quetta narrated the details before the national Press. Mr. Naseer Bugti said that the Federally controlled gas companies are earning billions of rupees annually by exploiting the natural gas from Balochistan and denying the qualified local engineers of their right to have jobs in their home village and town. He severely criticised the Balochistan Government for failure to protect the legitimate interests of the local people, mainly the qualified engineers, though Balochistan is meeting almost half of the energy sources of the country. He appealed to the Chief Executive, General Pervez Musharraf and the Provincial Governor, Justice Amirul Mulk Mengal to take up the issue and ensure the right of the people of Balochistan on their own resources. Wednesday, February 07, 2001 |
| NOCs issued to local, foreign companies in Balochistan ISLAMABAD: The Balochistan government has issued No Objection Certificate (NOCs) to foreign and local companies for exploring oil and gas in Balochistan. Industry sources told Dawn that NOCs were sent to all those companies which were allocated areas for the exploration activities a decade ago but due to interference of tribal lords they had to halt their activities. The Home and Tribal Affairs Division of Balochistan informed the exploration companies that the government of Balochistan had no objection to exploration activities "from security point of view." The military government, soon after taking over power, had promised to open up the province for foreign and local exploration companies. Pakistan Army's assistance has also been sought for opening up Balochistan for exploration activities, and on Aug 7, a meeting of representatives of three foreign companies was held in 12 Corps, Quetta. The meeting, presided over by the Chief Secretary of Balochistan, was attended by representatives of Occidental, LASMO, and Tullow. It was learnt that the foreign exploration companies asked the government to provide iron-clad guarantees for the security of their manpower and investment. They informed the government that their previous experience in Balochistan was a source of "great disappointment." The representatives reportedly raised the issue of gas pricing and said that "narrow interpretation of rules and concession agreements" had risked their investment in Pakistan. They asked the government to provide such an environment that even after the change of the present government, their investment in Balochistan was safe. The companies reportedly said that they were ready to spend money on the development of the area but required the government to give concrete security guarantees. The foreign companies asked the government to be lenient with regard to time limit of their licences. The federal government had awarded a number of blocks to the gas and oil exploration companies in early nineties but no activity was carried out in these highly-prospective exploration blocks due to force majeure. The areas which were completely inaccessible are dominated by Marri and Bugti tribes. The companies which were awarded blocks were Premier Exploration Pakistan Ltd; Orient Petroleum Inc; OGCDL, Tullow Pakistan (Developments) Ltd; Lasmo Oil Pakistan Ltd; Pakistan Petroleum Ltd and Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc. The official of ministry of petroleum, however, said that Pakistani companies which were allotted blocks, had already started exploration activities. About a year ago Orient Petroleum Inc had tried to lift the force majeure but had to abandon the activity when the leader of Bugti tribe handed over a list of demands. When a representative of the company went to meet the Bugti tribe lord, he took some books on politics with him which he brought from America. The Sardar bluntly told the representative of the company to talk to him if he had "something in his pocket" as he had read enough books on politics. The Baloch Sardar demanded that besides royalty to him the company should guarantee carried interest of five per cent to him if gas or oil was discovered. He further demanded that all the labour would be hired on his recommendation and all the contractors would be selected by him. The Baloch Sardar wanted the company to bear expenses for the higher education of at least five Baloch students every year in foreign universities. The company, after evaluating the demands, abandoned the exploration activity. Thursday, August 31, 2000 By Rafaqat Ali |