KARACHI: Pakistani petroleum exploration and production companies will invest more than $33 million under petroleum concession agreements (PCAs) and exploration licenses (ELs) signed on Wednesday, the Pakistani energy ministry announced.
The PCAs and ELs were signed by Momin Agha, the Petroleum Division secretary, Kashif Ali, director-general of petroleum concessions on behalf of the government, Ahmed Hayat Lak, managing-director and chief executive officer of the Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Shuaib A. Malik, chairman of the Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL), Sikandar Ali Memon, chief operating officer of the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), and Dr. Nadeem Ahmed, head of exploration at United Energy Pakistan (UEP).
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Minister for Power and Petroleum Muhammad Ali, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Jahanzaib Khan and others in Islamabad.
“The minimum investment to be carried out by the Exploration and Production (E&P) companies in these Blocks for prospecting will be over USD33.3 million in three years,” the Pakistani energy ministry said in a statement.
PCAs and ELs have been signed for eight blocks including Kotra East (2867-8), Murradi (2767-7), Sehwan (2667-19) and Zindan-II (3271-9) with Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Multanai (3168-3) with Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL), Sawan South (2668-26) with United Energy Pakistan Limited (UEP), Gambat-II (2668-25) with Joint Venture of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (Operator) and OGDCL, and Saruna West (2666-1) with Joint Venture of POL (Operator), PPL and OGDCL.
These companies will make investments to develop production for blocks with discoveries, besides spending a minimum of $30,000 per year on social welfare schemes in each block in their respective areas.
Petroleum Minister Ali said the efforts would bear fruit for the country in the form of additional hydrocarbon reserves during the next few years. He hoped the execution of the ELs and PCAs would not only enhance investment in the petroleum sector, but they would also contribute to bridging the energy demand and supply gap.
The South Asian country is only 16.35 percent self-sufficient in oil production, while it meets the rest of the demand through costly imports.
Pakistani petroleum companies to invest over $33 million in exploration in three years — energy ministry
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Pakistani petroleum companies to invest over $33 million in exploration in three years — energy ministry
- These companies have signed petroleum concession agreements and exploration licenses for eight blocks
- Minister hopes agreements will enhance investment in petroleum sector, bridge energy demand and supply
Pakistan puts border districts on high alert amid Iran protests — official
- The development comes as Iranian authorities try to suppress protests over faltering economy, with over 2,600 killed
- Militancy in Balochistan has declined following the return of nearly 1 million Afghans, the additional chief secretary says
QUETTA: Pakistan has heightened security along districts bordering Iran as violent protests continue to engulf several Iranian cities, a top official in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province said on Thursday, with authorities stepping up vigilance to guard against potential spillover.
The development comes as Iranian authorities try to suppress protests, which began late last month over the country’s faltering economy and the collapse of its currency, with more than 2,600 killed in weeks of violence in the Islamic republic.
The clampdown on demonstrations, the worst since the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution, has drawn threats from the United States (US) of a military intervention on behalf of the protesters, raising fears of further tensions in an already volatile region.
Pakistan, which shares a 909-kilometer-long border with Iran in its southwest, has said that it is closely monitoring the situation in the neighboring country and advised its citizens to keep essential travel documents with them amid the unrest.
“The federal government is monitoring the situation regarding what is happening in Iran and the provincial government is in touch with the federal government,” Hamza Shafqaat, an additional chief secretary at the Balochistan Home Department, told
Arab News in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
“As far as the law and order is concerned in all bordering districts with Iran, we are on high alert and as of now, the situation is very normal and peaceful at the border.”
Asked whether Islamabad had suspended cross-border movement and trade with Iran, Shafqaat said trade was ongoing, but movement of tourists and pilgrims had been stopped.
“There were few students stuck in Iran, they were evacuated, and they reached Gwadar,” he said. “Around 200 students are being shifted to their home districts.”
SITUATION ON PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN BORDER
Pakistan’s Balochistan province has long been the site of an insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists and religiously motivated groups like the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Besides Iran, the province shares more around 1,000-kilometer porous border with Afghanistan.
Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing its soil for attacks against Pakistan, an allegation denied by Kabul. In Oct., Pakistan and Afghanistan engaged in worst border clashes in decades over a surge in militancy in Pakistan. While the neighbors agreed to a ceasefire in Doha that month, relations between them remain tensed.
Asked about the government’s measures to secure the border with Afghanistan, Shafqaat said militancy in the region had declined following the return of nearly 1 million Afghan nationals as part of a repatriation drive Islamabad announced in late 2023.
“There is news that some of them keep on coming back from one border post or some other areas because we share a porous border and it is very difficult to man every inch of this border,” he said.
“On any intervention from the Afghanistan side, our security agencies which are deputed at the border are taking daily actions.”
LAW AND ORDER CHALLENGE
Balochistan witnessed 167 bomb blasts among over 900 militant attacks in 2025, which killed more than 400 people, according to the provincial government’s annual law and order report. But officials say the law-and-order situation had improved as compared to the previous year.
“More than 720 terrorists were killed in 2025 which is a higher number of operations against terrorists in many decades, while over a hundred terrorists were detained by law enforcement agencies in 90,000-plus security operations in Balochistan,” Shafqaat said.
The provincial government often suspended mobile Internet service in the southwestern province on various occasions last year, aimed at ensuring security in Balochistan.
“With that step, I am sure we were able to secure hundreds of lives,” Shafqaat said, adding it was only suspended in certain areas for less than 25 days last year.
“The Internet service through wireless routers remained open for the people in the entire year, we closed mobile Internet only for people on the roads because the government understands the difficulties of students and business community hence we are trying to reduce the closure of mobile Internet.”
