Absence of the chief guest and chairman at the concluding session of a seminar held here on Saturday on "Coal and its utilisation" gave discouraging message to organisers and participants.
Undoubtedly, it would leave a negative impression and disappoint those whom the organisers wanted to persuade by organising such an event that they should prefer Pakistan and particularly, its coal sector while investing their money.
But perhaps, Naurez Shakoor Khan, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, and Sardar Arbab Rahim, Sindh Chief Minister, who did not turn up despite confirming to be the chief guest and chairman of the concluding session to the event, respectively, were not aware of its importance.
Both, being the VVIPs, may some other very important engagements which barred them to attend the seminar.
But, it could be a lame excuse to the organiser - Noble Energy - whose representatives had no answer to the participants' queries that why the chief guest, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, and chairman of the concluding session, the Sindh Chief Minister, were absent.
Some might have thought that it was just a coincident but majority of the participants was not ready to accept it so.
Organisers waited almost for one hour for arrival of the chief guest and later decided to offer the seat of the chief guest to Irfanullah Khan Marwat, Sindh's Minister for Mines and Minerals.
Marwat readily accepted the offer and this helped the organisers to start the proceedings of the seminar.
Marwat appreciated the efforts of the organiser for conducting seminar on a very important issue of coal energy.
He said Pakistan was abundant with coal reserves and was making efforts for its exploitation. He said the Sindh government has signed two agreements with Chinese companies for setting up of coal fired power station.
He offered all-out support to the foreign companies for investing in Pakistan's coal sector.
Experts read their papers on Pakistan's potential in coal and urged for its proper exploitation.