November 26, 2007	Monday	Ziqa’ad 15, 1428

QUETTA, Nov 25: Gas supply to vast areas in southern Punjab, suspended on Saturday night after a main pipeline was blown up near Mazari Goth on the Balochistan-Punjab border, could not be restored on Sunday.

Another pipeline was blown up on Sunday morning, disrupting supply from the Pir Koh gas field to the main purification plant of the Pakistan Petroleum Limited in Sui.

Sources said that the Mazari Goth blast was caused by explosives placed under the 32-inch diameter pipeline. Gas started leaking from the pipeline and the compressor plant in Sui was closed to stop the leak.

“The suspension of gas supply has affected production in industrial units run by natural gas, including fertiliser factories,” the sources said.

In the Pir Koh area, the 22-inch diameter pipeline was blown up at around 4am. “Three-to-four foot long portions of the two pipelines were damaged,” a senior police officer told Dawn from Sui.

The sources said that although gas supply to the main purification plant had been reduced from the Pir Koh and Loti fields, the plant was working smoothly because its was receiving gas from around 90 wells of the Sui field.

Work to repair the pipelines was undertaken on Sunday morning amid tight security. “Gas supply to Punjab is expected to be restored some time late in the night,” the sources said.