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Balochistan peace
must for oil exploration: Zardari
dawn.com/
ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: President Asif Ali Zardari
said on Wednesday that the government would restore peace in Balochistan and
make it safe for oil and gas exploration after holding dialogue with
stakeholders.
At a briefing on energy crisis and the pace of oil and gas exploration in
the province by officials of the ministry of petroleum and natural resources
at the presidency, he said energy security was as much vital for the nation
as food security.
Sources in the petroleum ministry told Dawn that the president agreed with
views being held by most of exploration companies and officials of the
ministry that without bringing lasting peace to Balochistan, no major
increase could be witnessed in exploration and production of oil and gas in
the province.
Mr Zardari, they added, was informed that the confidence of investors
interested in gas and oil fields in Balochistan could only be restored
through peace and peace was not possible until tribes were taken into
confidence.
An official announcement said the president stressed the need for innovative
and out-of-the-box solutions to increase oil and gas production. He called
for stepping up oil and gas exploration.
He said that the economy could not be sustained without energy. There is a
pressing need for multiplying domestic energy production.
Mr Zardari said energy security, like food security, was critical in the
modern world. He called for devising a comprehensive energy security plan.
An effective energy security plan also involved dialogue at the regional
level for cooperation in the filed of energy, he said.
He stressed the need for carrying out aerial surveys for exploration of oil
and gas.
The president said that during his visit to Beijing, he found the Chinese
political leadership keen to assist Pakistan in all development activities.
Mr Zardari called upon relevant officials to develop new models of
private-public partnership in the oil and gas sector with Chinese
entrepreneurs.
The sources said that the president was also briefed on the issues which
could arise from the privatisation of the Qadirpur gas-field and the ongoing
maintenance of the same gas field and its impact on energy situation.
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Afghan minister to
visit Chabahar
23/10/2008; mathaba.net
Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industry
ohammad Amin Farhang will visit Chabahar Free Zone, Sistan-Baluchestan
province, at the head of a delegation of merchants and tradesmen in
November.
Announcing this, head of the Economy Section of Iran's Embassy in
Afghanistan, Hamid Reza Tousi said that they will get acquainted with the
potentials of the port in trade exchanges with other countries via Oman Sea.
He also added that one of the objectives of the visit is to finalize
registration of Iran-Afghan Transportation Company.
With the establishment of the company, not only the volume of bilateral
trade will increase, but also many challenges in the field will be removed,
he argued.
According to him, 51 percent of the company belongs to the Iranian private
sector and the rest to Afghan private sector.
Chabahar Port is located southeast of Iran. Afghan merchants can transfer
their goods to Central Asian countries and even Pakistan via the port.
Due to its free trade zone status, the port's significance in international
trade has increased.
The overwhelming majority of the city's inhabitants are ethnic Baluchis
speaking Baluchi language. --IRNA
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