Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani said on Tuesday that the government would provide all-possible protection to national and international oil and gas exploring companies in order to exploit natural resources aimed at ending backwardness from the province.
He said this at a meeting held here under his chairmanship to review the security and administrative matters relating to gas exploration by Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) in Tangna Pusht area in Dhadar Tehsil of Bolan district. The CM directed the concerned officials to extend maximum co-operation to the oil and gas exploring companies in their security, administrative and other matters in the province.
He assured the PPL that the government would make foolproof security arrangements for searching oil and gas in the province. He urged the PPL officials to accommodate maximum local youths in jobs and initiate development schemes after discovering oil and gas in respective areas.
He said that the incumbent government accepted the rights of local population over the resources and it was included in the priorities of the government. The CM said that work would soon be started for exploring oil and gas in other parts of the province. In this regard the government was co-operating with the private sector aimed at enhancing investments in the province.
The participants of the meeting finalised the arrangements for commencing oil and gas exploitation in Dhadar and reviewed the overall security arrangements for the exploration. Balochistan Finance Minister Asim Kurd Gailu, Chief Secretary Nasir Mehmood Khosa, IGFC Major General Saleem Nawaz, IGP, provincial secretaries finance and home, and other senior officials of law enforcement agencies and PPL attended the meeting.