KOHAT, April 25 Unidentified persons attacked Chanda Oil Field, operated by Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), in Shakardarra in the small hours of Saturday.

Police said that unidentified persons fired six rockets at the field, which exploded outside the plant therefore no damage to property or life was caused. The attackers then opened sporadic fire on the plant which continued for a long time, they added.

The blast caused fear among the local people. The executive director security of the plant, general manager security and general manager administration reached the site to monitor investigations.

Police and security forces were immediately dispatched to the area to conduct operation against the suspects. Several suspects had been held for interrogation, sources said.

The OGDCL facility in Shakardarra had already been declared high security zone where FC had been deployed for the safety of the installations and the staff. But it is short of the actual requirement keeping in view the difficult terrain used by the terrorist and the arms smugglers to cross into Mianwali.

The president of the permanent employees of the OGDCL, Said Wali, in a speech at the occasion demanded facilities for the workers and enhancement of security arrangements. He warned if their demands were not met they would launch a protest movement from May 1.

The representative of the contract employees, Younis Khan, said that security should be beefed up during night and their services should be regularised as promised many years ago.

Officials from the OGDCL headquarters were also present at the facility to know about the investigations into the kidnapping of three employees last week at the time of the attack.

A seven-member group of OGDCL officers and lower staff belonging to a religious sect, who were threatened by a radical group, left the Chanda field on Saturday.

Sources told Dawn that few days ago the officers had received an anonymous letter that all employees belonging to Shia sect should be immediately transferred to Punjab otherwise they would be killed.

The OGDCL management ordered the transfer of the said staff for the safety of their lives. They left Kohat on Saturday.

ARRESTED Police and security forces arrested 163 suspects, including 43 illegal Afghan refugees, wanted in heinous crimes, during eight days of search operation here that ended on Saturday.

A pres release issued here said security forces and police, acting on intelligence reports, raided several places and made the arrests. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition and drugs were also seized from them.

The seizure included 15 kilograms of explosive material, eight Kalashnikovs, five Kalakovs, 25 shotguns, 13 repeaters, 28 rifles, 48 pistols, 5,000 cartridges of different bore, fake currency worth Rs25,000, 25 kilograms of hashish and two kilograms of opium.