ISLAMABAD, Jan 13: An eagle with a highly-sensitive transmitter was found dead on Jan 4 in Uch gas field area, near Dera Murad Jamali in Balochistan, official sources confirmed.

The bird was discovered near the gas field installations by officials of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL). The OGDCL site-security staff reported the incident immediately to their head office in Islamabad.

The dead eagle and the transmitter were handed over to the nearby commandant of Pakistan army by OGDCL security staff. This is the second such case in a month.

The ministry of petroleum and natural resources was also informed of the incident by the OGDCL management, an OGDCL senior official confirmed.

A spokesman of the inter-services public relations (ISPR), Brig Saulat when contacted said: “This is not our subject. Only the Balochistan government can tell something. This is not in my knowledge”.

It may be recalled that OGDCL had reported having spotted last month two US gunship helicopters over the same area on Dec 17.

“We know what they are looking for but they are mistaken,” said an OGDCL official and declined to explain.

Uch gas field is situated in Dera Murad Jamali, a Bugti area in the Balochistan province. It is the country’s third largest gas producing field and is owned and operated by the state-run OGDCL.

About 210 to 216 MMCFD of gas is currently being supplied to US-sponsored 586MW Uch Power Limited (UPL).

Jehangir Bashar, official spokesman and senior joint secretary of the petroleum ministry also confirmed helicopter sightings. The interior ministry spokesman Abdul Rasheed Khan expressed his ignorance about the incidents.