The Committee met under the Convenership of Malik Ihtebar Khan here and decided to look into the crude oil theft issue in detail in the next meeting and directed all the relevant quarters to attend the meeting with necessary record. The meeting was attended by MNAs; Muhammad Arshad Khan Laghari, Rana Afzaal Hussain, Mian Tariq Mehmood, Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan, Rasheed Ahmad Khan, Abdul Waseem, Sajid Ahmed, Akram Khan Durrani, Shahjehan Muneer Mangrio, and Secretary Ministry of Petroleum.
The committee expressed concern over absence of MOL Pakistan chief and directed him to ensure his presence in the next meeting. Durrani suggested if he failed to attend the meeting police should be asked to produce him in the meeting as due to crude oil theft Pakistan has incurred hundreds of million financial losses.
Interestingly, this theft is still taking place from the joint pipeline of the NASHPA oilfield and Makori Central Processing Facility at Mir Kalam, Spina Banda, in the Karak District where unidentified culprits are stealing oil from the pipeline and transport it to other areas.
The committee directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to expedite the inquiry into the theft of crude oil from MOL operated oil field in District Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP). The Committee also directed the Petroleum Ministry to provide the requisite record to the FIA within a week. FIA official said that as per their finding three methods were being used to steal the crude oil; (i) puncturing the pipe; (ii)alteration of crude oil tankers with enhancing capacity of each tanker to carry 1,000 litres additional oil and (iii) use of water browsers. He informed that National Logistic Cell (NLC) and Saadullah Shah were carriage contractors hired by the company for the transportation of crude oil and supply of water. He said 250 water tankers were intercepted by the company in crude oil theft activity but no serious action was taken against them.
The Director FIA KP apprised the committee about preliminary findings into the theft of oil, adding that Hungarian Exploration and Production (E&P) company MOL was not co-operating with the agency in oil theft probe. He requested the committee to direct Secretary Ministry of Petroleum to make available the required record of the company. On his request the committee directed secretary Petroleum Arshad Mirza to provide all the record to investigating agency, who assured the body of providing record within a week.
Secretary Petroleum Arshad Mirza said, "The government has been investigating this case and two inquiries have been conducted; we have found some traces, however, now the FIA was investigating it and would soon find the facts." FIA official apprised that more than 100 FIRs have been registered against the persons reportedly involved into the theft and over 150 persons at present were in the custody.