PESHAWAR: The theft of billions of rupees worth of crude oil from the main pipeline in the oil and gas producing Karak district on Friday prompted the treasury and opposition benches in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to jointly demand a government inquiry into the act of a ‘racket’.

On a point of order, Pakistan People’s Party MPA Nighat Orakzai told the provincial assembly that a racket was involved in thieving crude oil from the main pipeline in Karak district, inflicting the Rs15-Rs20 billion loss to the kitty during the last eight months.

She said the racket had breached the main pipeline from Noshpa oil field to the central processing facility in Makori for theft and that 100,000 liters crude oil was drawn from the pipeline per night.

The MPA said the stolen oil was transported from the secret point in tankers.

She said the racket had installed a small refinery unit to process the stolen crude oil, which was later transported to filling stations in the area.

Orakzai alleged that representatives of MOL, a foreign oil exploration company, along with the police and influential politicians were involved in oil theft.

KP Assembly speaker asks govt for inquiry by NAB, others

She said the police had registered a case of the theft but the culprits had yet not been ‘exposed’.

The MPA said interestingly, the foreign company had released oil and gas simultaneously in the pipeline and that gas of millions of cubic feet was evaporated during the oil theft.

She said 50,000 cubic feet gas evaporated during the drawing of oil from the pipeline in one night.

Orakzai said the police had registered an FIR about oil theft but no action had been taken against the highly influential culprits.

According to her, besides oil and gas theft in Karak, millions of cubic feet gas has leaked from the main supply line broken at several points for illegal connections.

The gas leak caused huge losses to the kitty besides wasting the precious natural resource.

Adviser to the chief minister on prison Malik Mohammad Qasim, who belongs to Karak, and elementary and secondary education minister Mohammad Atif endorsed Orakzai’s statement.

Malik Qasim said crude oil was pumped into 20-25 tankers every night before its sale to filling stations.

He suggested the probe of the house’s special committee into the theft.

Minister Mohammad Atif informed the house that the MOL management had confirmed theft of crude oil from the main pipeline.

He proposed a high-level inquiry into oil theft, saying the chief secretary should head the probe committee.

Speaker Asad Qaisar, who was in the chair, directed the government to conduct inquiry into the theft through the National Accountability Bureau and other investigation agencies.

He said a joint resolution should be tabled in the house on the matter and that the federal and provincial governments should be asked to initiate separate inquiries into it.

The chair deferred bills on delimitation of local councils and Hindu disposition of property at the request of the government and adjourned the sitting until next Monday.

Published in Dawn, November 29th , 2014