National Assembly body rejects PPL version on gang-rape issue

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources on Friday rejected the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) version on gang-rape issue. The treasury as well as opposition members, during a meeting here with member national assembly (MNA) Dr Noorjehan Panezai in the chair, expressed anguish over the security lapse, which resulted in the tragic incident.
Sources privy to the meeting told Business Recorder the members expressed no confidence in the PPL viewpoint on the matter and questioned why it failed to fix responsibility for the criminal assault on the lady doctor. This scribe thrice tried to contact the committee chairman but she was not available at her residence while she also left her mobile phone back home.
The meeting was informed that the judicial tribunal under a High Court judge had already recorded the statements of the PPL employees and security personnel and would record the statement of Dr Shazia and the suspects shortly.
The suspects, alleged to be involved in the gang rape of a lady doctor at Sui, would be shortly sent to Karachi for identification by the victim, the meeting was told.
A five-paragraph statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat said the tribunal had been given 15 days to furnish its findings on the issue, which is believed to have caused reaction among the Baloch nationalists.
The members expressed concern over the PPL inability to fix responsibility for the crime, sources maintained. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf told Business Recorder that PPL made no reference to any military personnel alleged to be involved in the sexual assault between the night of January 2 and 3. However, the PPL conceded that the circumstantial evidence indicated the lady doctor was rang-raped, the member revealed. The committee members demanded of PPL to work out a comprehensive plan for the areas, where exploration or drilling is done.
Raja Ashraf, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Manzoor Hussain Wassan also pointed out the PPL paid no attention to addressing the grievances of the people whose land was acquired.
The lawmakers proposed adequate funds be allocated for community development of the areas where drilling or oil exploration is done, local people be given jobs and if their land is acquired they should get due compensation.
In this connection, Raja Ashraf pointed out the company had not paid compensation to the owners of Adhi oil field in Pothohar belt and the locals were also by and large ignored as far as employment at the field was concerned. The chairman of the committee called upon the PPL to address grievances of the 'affected persons' and pay attention on community development.