MOL refutes allegation of blackmail

MOL claims it is engaged with the federal and K-P govt for ensuring safety and security of its workers.

ISLAMABAD: MOL Pakistan has claimed that it is engaged with the federal and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governments for ensuring safety and security of lives of people who worked in Tal Block and is also committed to resuming work at Maramzai field at the earliest.

While clarifying a news item published in this paper on Monday, February 7, MOL rejected the suggestion that the company was trying to blackmail the government. In its statement the company said the unfortunate incident mentioned in the report had taken place on January 21, 2011 and it had resulted in loss of life of six people. Two of these were employees of MOL Pakistan and four belonged to Frontier Constabulary. Two other employees of the same subcontractor were also kidnapped during the incident. Both of them are still missing.

The clarification further said that two other employees of MOL who were kidnapped in a separate incident in the proximity of the same area on December 21, 2010 were later released and reached home on January 24, 2011.

The MOL Pakistan is committed, the statement added, to Pakistan on a long term basis and has helped increase Pakistan’s indigenous energy production greatly over the last few years.  “It is committed to resume work on the Maramzai well and restoring 40 mmscfd of natural gas and 1600 boe/d of crude oil to the national energy output at the earliest but this cannot be done by endangering the lives of human beings. MOL Pakistan will continue to engage with all stakeholders for the purpose”, it added.

Qaiser Butt adds

The commissioner Kohat, Khalid Umerzai, had told The Express Tribune that the two MOL employees who were kidnapped during the ambush were released by the culprits within three days.

This correspondent visited the MOL office in Islamabad to get their comments on the story but no official was willing to speak on the issue. Instead he was asked to contact the media consultant Aniq Zafar who in response to all questions repeatedly uttered only a single word “security”.

He could not explain as to what kind of security MOL was demanding from the provincial government to resume operations at Tal Block as it is a known fact that the provincial government had already provided MOL with security.

The MOL should have availed the opportunity when this correspondent made many attempts to have their side of the story to clarify its views so far as the provincial government officials’ allegations of blackmail against the MOL management are concerned. I stand by my story.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2011.