ISLAMABAD, Oct 9: Pakistan has asked all foreign oil and gas exploration companies to bring back their expatriate staff and resume work immediately

Sources told Dawn that expatriate staff of oil and gas companies had established offices in their parent countries. They had, however, started billing joint-venture partners for the work they were doing sitting in their home countries.

Under the government policy, the multinational companies could not operate without entering into joint ventures with State-owned companies like Pakistan Holding and Oil and Gas Development Corporation, the sources said. All big multinational companies in the energy sector had evacuated their expatriate employees after Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

The sources said that the government, in its recent letter to all foreign companies, had warned them that it would not condone any delay in the exploration work on the pretext of their being away due to the Afghanistan situation.

In the letter,the government had said that it had been noted with “concern that the expatriate staff had left Pakistan for an indefinite period which was likely to cause an inordinate delay in the planned exploration and production activities, beside causing cost overruns.

“This is not acceptable to the government, particularly when working environment in the country is conducive to safe conduct of all operations and the government is committing all its resources to provide necessary assistance to enable the companies to undertake projects in a safe and secure manner.”

The sources said the government had made it clear that it would not grant any extension and the company concerned would be fully responsible for the delay in the execution of the project and rise in its cost.