KOHAT, March 18: The Hungarian Exploration Company MOL and Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL), which are operating 19 wells in the Kohat division as part of the Tal Block, still feel unsafe and are at the mercy of extortionists even after being involved in the region for more than a decade.

The Tal Block contracted to these companies by the government in 1999 and 2001comprises Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Orakzai Agency of Kohat division, Bannu and parts of Waziristan Agency.

The region is teaming with unbridled criminals who have for centuries made large swathes as no go areas where their main source of income is kidnappings for ransom and drug trafficking.

Only recently, rouge elements attacked OGDCL facilities and vehicles and occupied the company's new Sheikhan site, forcing the OGDCL to suspend its production on different points in Kohat district.

Influential people and landowners often forcibly stop the oil and gas exploration work demanding jobs and extra cost of their land used by the company.

Mushfiq Paracha, the regional chief who administers whole Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Punjab, told this correspondent on telephone that some of the matters concerning recent incidents had been resolved. But the safety of the installations and the staff required much more security.

The MOL company officials have requested the commissioner Kohat division, Khalid Khan Umerzai, at several meetings held in recent months to provide the staff and installations with security especially after kidnapping of their staff and firing incidents.

They also demanded elimination of the criminal gangs who pose constant threat to their installations.

A one such meeting was held on Thursday. But the MOL officials in Kohat and Islamabad, when contacted, refused to comment only saying that they were not allowed to speak about such matters.

A couple of months back unknown criminals attacked a vehicle of the MOL company and kidnapped its official Fayyaz Khattak. The incident occurred in Sarki Mela area between Kohat and Hangu districts. The MOL operates 10 wells of oil and gas in the region and is also assessing new reserves at sites in Hangu district.

Officials of both the companies and police said that extra troops of Frontier Constabulary and police check posts had started functioning after a long period of negotiations in view of the extreme vulnerability of the national and foreign companies to the criminals.

The interior ministry had sanctioned extra platoon of FC, establishment of two posts and round the clock patrolling of the region. But the situation is still far from safe.