KARAK: Awami National Party-Wali provincial president Farid Toofan has said that inquiry into theft of crude oil in district Karak should be conducted by National Accountability Bureau.

Addressing a conference organised by Kahttak Ittehad at Town Hall here on Thursday, he rejected the inquiry committee constituted by provincial chief secretary to probe the crude oil theft case.

The committee is headed by Kohat Commissioner Syed Jamaluddin. DIG Ishtiaq Marwat, Karak Deputy Commissioner Shoaib Jadoon, Karak DPO Atiqullah Wazir and SP Hameedullah Baloch are members of the committee.

Rejects the inquiry committee formed by the government

Mr Toofan claimed that Rs10 billion were stolen by the people involved in the high profile crude oil theft case.

He said that they could set up an oil refinery in the district by utilising such huge amount.

The ANP-W leader alleged that the high ups of the foreign oil and gas exploration company ‘MOL’ were involved in the theft.

He said that they could not forgive the enemies of Khattak tribe.

Mr Toofan said that the government constituted the committee just to hoodwink the people.

“The Khattak tribe rejects this committee as it has been formed to close the case,” he alleged.

He said that the movement of Khattak Ittehad had entered its final stage and there was no chance of any mistake.

He said that Khattak Ittehad should take along all political parties to get the usurped rights of the tribe.  

Speaking on the occasion, Khattak Ittehad president Maulana Mirzaqeem said that the conference endorsed their four-point agenda.

He said that they would meet the chief minister within the next couple of days of discuss the issue with him.

He said that they wanted the government to increase the pressureof gas, end power loadshedding, launch mega projects with the oil and gas royalty funds and establish power plant in the district.

The conference was attended by JUI-F district president Hafiz Ibne Ameen, JUI-S district president Maulana Sabz Ali, Pakistan People’s Party district president Khursheed, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party district president Rafi Khattak, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Maulana Samiur Rehman, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Noor Mohammad and Chountra Ittehad president Umer Khattak.

BURN INJURIES: Three persons, including two women, suffered serious burn injuries owing to gas leakage in Tarkha Koi area of Karak tehsil.

The injured were referred to a hospital in Peshawar in precarious condition.

The local residents said that the blast occurred due to gas leakage in a room of the house.

The room was damaged completely and three inmates identified as Sharab Noor, his wife and daughter-in-law suffered serious burn injuries.

The local people rushed to the site of the occurrence to extinguish the fire.

They retrieved the injured and rushed them to district headquarters hospital Karak from where they were referred to a hospital in Peshawar.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2014