QUETTA: A senior official of the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) was killed in a targeted bomb attack on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Balochistan on Sunday, a high-ranking police official confirmed to Arab News.
Earlier this year in August, Pakistan held an international conference in Islamabad aimed at tapping into its estimated $6 trillion worth of mineral deposits.
The event brought together foreign investors, diplomats, and international dignitaries who were briefed about the country’s precious natural deposits, with the government aiming to use these resources to address Pakistan’s persistent economic woes.
A large number of these mineral resources are located in the southwestern Balochistan province, where the PMDC official was targeted earlier today.
“The PMDC project manager for the Sor Range mining facility, Mirza Shabbar Ali, was targeted by an improvised explosive device while he was traveling to the mining site from his bungalow,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jawad Tariq.
“Ali was killed on the spot, but his driver received serious injuries and was shifted to Quetta for medical treatment,” he continued. “The provincial counterterrorism department has begun investigating the latest attack and gathered evidence from the crime scene.”
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Baloch separatist groups have frequently targeted security forces and mine workers in the area that is known for its rich coal deposits.
The PMDC is a semi-autonomous body linked with Pakistan’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. Its workers have mostly focused on extracting coal, salt and silica sand from mining fields.
“It was a terrorist attack on a mining inspector who worked at a PMDC project site,” Balochistan’s Chief Mining Inspector Abdul Ghani told Arab News.
The province has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by nationalist groups operating in the southwestern region, who claim to be fighting against what they view as the unfair exploitation of the Balochistan’s wealth by the federation.
The Pakistani state has consistently denied the claims of Baloch armed separatist groups.
The recent IED attack has once again highlighted the volatility of the province, emphasizing the challenges of carrying out economic development projects in the area.
Senior mining official killed in southwestern Pakistan amid push for international mineral investment
https://arab.news/p2549
Senior mining official killed in southwestern Pakistan amid push for international mineral investment
- Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation’s project manager was targeted in an IED attack on the outskirts of Quetta
- Pakistan is keen to attract foreign investment in the mining sector which it estimates to have $6 trillion dollars of deposits
Punjab warns of action against hoarders as Islamabad seals petrol stations denying fuel
- Long queues of vehicles were seen outside fuel stations as Pakistan announced a hike in petroleum prices late Friday
- The Punjab Enforcement Regulatory Authority says fuel stations involved in hoarding will have their licenses revoked
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Punjab province on Saturday warned of action against the ones hoarding petroleum products, while authorities in federal capital of Islamabad sealed seven petrol stations for denying fuel to motorists, amid global supply constraints due to the Middle East tensions.
Global oil markets have been rattled since coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran began last week, triggering retaliatory attacks across the region, raising fears of disruption of key energy shipping routes and pushing petroleum prices upward.
Pakistan announced a hike of Rs55 ($0.20) per liter in petrol and diesel prices late Friday, with Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and others saying they were monitoring international energy markets and domestic supply conditions to bring down the prices as soon as the conflict is resolved.
In a statement issued from her office, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz assured the masses that the province had ample stock of petroleum products and the Punjab Enforcement Regulatory Authority (PERA) had been tasked with ensuring supply in the region.
“A grand operation has been launched against hoarders and profiteers of petroleum products,” the statement said, adding that fuel stations found creating artificial shortages would be immediately sealed and their licenses revoked.
Separately, officials in Islamabad sealed seven petrol stations after long queues of vehicles were seen at some stations on Friday night, according to the Islamabad district administration. It said the city had over 2.5 million liters of petrol and more than 1.5 million liters of diesel available.
“[Fuel stations in] seven cases of refusal to provide petrol to citizens were sealed,” the district administration added.
Pakistan has sent vessels to ports in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to secure crude oil supplies, the petroleum minister said late Friday.
“With the help of the Foreign Office, two Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) vessels are currently on their way, one toward Yanbu port and the other toward Fujairah port, to bring crude oil from outside the Hormuz region in order to meet Pakistan’s energy needs,” Malik said on Friday night.
In addition, he said, Saudi Arabia’s Aramco had also assured that if Pakistan arranged, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) can be loaded at Yanbu and stationed near the Pakistani waters.
