January 28, 2008	Monday	Muharram 18, 1429

DADU, Jan 27: Sindh produces 80 per cent of the country’s gas and 60 percent of its oil but in return the local people are being denied employment opportunities by multinational companies exploring natural resources in different parts of the province.

This was pointed out by speakers at a seminar held on the “Role of oil and gas companies and their effect on society” here on Saturday at the Allama I.I Qazi library hall.

The project director of an NGO PDI, Sikandar Brohi, said that Sindh was supplying a large quantity of oil, gas and other natural resources and oil and gas companies were earning billions of dollars but they were not utilising a small portion of their budget on community development projects.

He said the MNCs were exploring 87 oil fields in Sindh, 23 in Punjab, one in Balochistan and one in NWFP.

He claimed that 80 per cent of gas and 60 per cent of oil was being produced by Sindh.

He said that the oil and gas companies were bound to utilise 12 per cent of their income on development works and also provide employment to local people but they were defying terms of this agreement.

Speaking on the occasion, a social worker Mohammad Ishaq Soomro said that 13 districts of Sindh were supplying a huge quantity of oil and gas but the MNCs had completely ignored local people in employment hence a writ petition would be filed in the court of law against these companies to secure rights of the locals.

A resident of taluka Johi, Nabi Bux Panhwar, said that an oil and gas company was extracting oil and gas from Johi taluka but in return it was denying jobs to local people.

Bahawalpur union council Naib Nazim Shamsuddin Panhwar said that Zamzama oil and gas field of the Company was disposing of its toxic chemical near Chhandan Mori which was harmful to residents of surrounding villages.

Social workers Tariq Leghari and Ghulam Abbas demanded of the president of the company to direct its Islamabad-based officials to provide employment to the local people and initiate basic development works.