KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday the inspector general (IG) of police in the Sindh province, Mushtaq Ahmed Mehar, had been abducted on Monday by paramilitary troops, who forced him to sign an order to arrest an opposition leader.
Opposition leader Muhammad Safdar, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) party, was arrested on Monday following a protest at the tomb of the country’s founder in Karachi, capital of the southern province of Sindh that the PPP rules. He is the son-in-law of Nawaz Sharif, three time prime minister of Pakistan and the head of the PMLN, which is part of a recently formed opposition alliance that is leading street protests against the central government.
On Tuesday night, Pakistan’s army ordered a probe into the alleged abduction of the provincial police chief following an outcry over the incident.
“Who besieged the IG’s house at 2am,” the PPP chairman asked reporters at a press conference. “Who were the two people who entered his residence and where was he taken at 4am?”
Several top officials of Sindh police submitted leave applications to the provincial administration to protest the alleged abduction of their chief, saying they could not fulfill their duties in such a “stressful situation” and needed to take some time off to come out of the “state of shock.”
“The chief minister [Murad Ali Shah] has announced an investigation,” said the PPP chairman. “The officers are resigning and proceeding on leave one by one. This is matter of their dignity.”
Referring to Safdar’s arrest, he said: “It was shameful. No matter how much I condemn it, it will still be insufficient. I am ashamed. I am not able to show my face to anyone after what has happened in my province.”
“I demand of the [Director General Inter-Services Intelligence] General Faiz Hameed and [Chief of Army Staff] General Qamar Javed Bajwa to investigate their institutions to see how they are working in this province. Whoever has given you this advice, this is wrong and will damage the dignity of your institutions,” he added.
Safdar’s wife and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Sharif has said in a press talk that the Sindh police chief was picked up by Rangers, a paramilitary force, and “taken to the sector commander’s office” where he was forced to issue arrest orders for Safdar.
“Taking notice of the Karachi incident, the COAS has directed Commander Karachi Corps to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible,” the army’s media wing said in a statement on Tuesday night.
It was later announced that the army chief also telephoned the PPP chairman to discuss the situation with him. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also formed a ministerial committee to probe the matter.
Bilawal says Sindh police forced to arrest ex-PM's son-in-law as army orders probe
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Bilawal says Sindh police forced to arrest ex-PM's son-in-law as army orders probe
- Pakistan’s army ordered a probe into the alleged abduction of the provincial police chief following an outcry over the incident
- Several top officials of Sindh police submit leave applications to record their protest against the alleged abduction of their chief
Pakistan announces oil, gas discovery in northwest as it seeks to cut energy imports
- Exploratory well in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flows 4,100 barrels of oil, 10.5 MMSCFD of gas
- The find adds to recent discoveries as Pakistan pushes to boost domestic energy output
KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday announced the discovery of oil and gas in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, saying the find could help reduce the country’s energy supply gap by adding to domestic production.
The discovery was made in the Datta Formation at an exploratory well drilled by the state-run Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in Kohat district. The Datta Formation is a rock layer known to hold oil and gas in parts of northern Pakistan and has been a key focus of exploration activity.
Pakistan faces a widening energy gap due to rising demand and limited domestic output, forcing it to rely heavily on costly fuel imports that leave the economy exposed to global price swings.
“During case-hole Drill Stem Test (DST-02) in Datta Formation (Jurassic age), the well flowed at the rate of 4,100 barrels of oil per day (BOPD) and 10.5 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas,” OGDCL Company Secretary Wasim Ahmad said in a letter to the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
A drill stem test is carried out to assess how much oil and gas a well can produce after drilling, helping companies evaluate whether a discovery is commercially viable.
OGDCL said the well was drilled to a depth of 5,170 meters and encountered oil- and gas-bearing zones at multiple levels. Earlier testing in a deeper geological layer had also resulted in a discovery, strengthening the overall prospects of the well.
“This oil and gas discovery will contribute toward mitigating the energy supply-demand gap through indigenous resources and will add to the hydrocarbon reserves base of OGDCL, its joint partners and the country,” the letter added.
Pakistan has reported several oil and gas finds in recent months as it steps up efforts to boost domestic output.
In September, Pakistan Petroleum Limited announced a discovery in Attock district of Punjab, while Mari Energies reported a new gas find in North Waziristan earlier this year.
