HYDERABAD, Feb 28: President Gen Pervez Musharraf in his message to the University of Sindh on the occasion of a national conference on "Fossil fuel and mineral resources of Sindh" has lauded the theme of the conference.

He stressed importance of exploiting natural resources and said Sindh had been producing oil and gas to the extent of 50 per cent of the total indigenous production, thereby contributing substantially to the country's economy. He said discovery and exploration of huge Thar coal deposits and their proper exploitation would further boost Sindh's contribution, besides alleviating poverty.

The president said collaborative efforts of academics and professionals in this context would prove fruitful and deliberations at the conference would contribute positively towards better assessment of resources' potentials and strategy for their exploitation.

In his message, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Sindh had large resources of fossil fuel in the form of coal, oil and gas, besides other industrial minerals and rocks. Recent discoveries of natural gas and ongoing exploration activities by the private sector were serious efforts to harness the endowments, Mr Aziz added.