Energy continues to be the most pressing issue that Pakistans economy faces today. One would presume the authorities at the helm of affairs would ideally want to improve the matters, but that is seldom the case. Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), - one of Pakistans leading E&P company finds itself in hot waters over the einstatement of sacked employees. The National Assemblys Sub-Committee on Inter Provincial Coordination has recommended the PPL to resolve the case of sacked employees in a month. PPL holds the position that it never employed these people, so the question of sacking and reinstating them makes little sense. The case in point refers back to 1991, when the field owner was not PPL and the said persons were not its employees. PPL says it has an older agreement with the Union in Sui which states that the employments to the sons of retired and deceased employees would be given the first preference. So even if PPL somehow decides to bear the burden of these people, it will cause unrest amongst the more deserving. In fact, protests in Sui have already started as the locals have raised concerns over the possibility of reinstatement of these people. The companys management believes that protests threatened to last long and can cause more unrest in the area and disrupt operations in an already depleting field, should the said employees be reinstated. On a broader spectrum, this very episode highlights the main issue being faced by the energy sector in the country. The political interference in petty issues which ranges from reinstating a few undeserving employees, or accepting even a fake employee back in the company, hinders the companys core function that is exploration and development of oil and gas in the country. As if the troubled security situation was not enough to discourage the E&P companies in Balochistan, micromanagement of issues is only adding insult to the injury. The time and effort spent on appearing before the committees and answering these petty issues often block the way for the resolution of more pressing issues at the policy level. PPL is one of the better performing public companies in Pakistan, but continuous political interference in non-core areas would not do a great service to the countrys cause. Such is the negligence at the upper level in the ministry that a company actually providing employment in the remote areas such as PPL is blamed for eing the reason for trouble in Balochistan. Imagine the level of de-motivation that could creep in due to such baseless accusations. This is the very reason that no foreign company is interested in operating in Balochistan, which is depriving the locals of more employment opportunities. Even a company like PPL, would now rather opt for KP or Sindh than Balochistan, if it ever has to choose between the two. PPL is even ready to find a middle ground, but the politicians are more interested in pointing issues rather than offering practical solutions. There is a dire need that the energy sector be de-linked and the role of politicians be limited to oversight rather than management. That, or PPL may well turn into another PIA or PSM - something which Pakistan can ill-afford at this juncture.
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