PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has notified a 13-member provincial commission to ensure fair distribution of development funds and protection of rights of local tribes of North Waziristan, where large reserves of petroleum and natural gas have been discovered recently.

A communiqué issued by the chief minister secretariat stated that to ensure local tribesmen get benefit of the discovery of reserves, fair share in development funds and protection of locals’ rights, the government has devised a three-tier framework, including a provincial commission and committees on district and tehsil level.

MNA Mufti Misbahuddin, MPA Naik Mohammad Khan, adviser to chief minister on information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, MPA Mohammad Iqbal, commissioner Bannu, secretary energy and power, director security of Mari Petroleum, general manager projects of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, a representative of 11 Corps, additional secretary ministry of petroleum, regional police officer Bannu and other officials will be the members of the provincial commission.

The commission’s terms of reference outlined that it will be responsible for devising a long term policy for 25 to 30 years to ensure the resources for the betterment of the country, area and its people to increase stability in the area.

Three-tier framework devised for fair distribution of development funds

In addition to this, the commission will also act to coordinate among local people, other stakeholders, provincial and federal governments and gas companies.

Besides, the commission will also work with the district and tehsil committees to finalise the long term agreements in order to enable the exploitation and use of these resources. At the same time, the commission will also strive to protect the rights of the local populace in line with the government policy and provide them with employment and economic progress.

The commission will also work to play its role to utilise the resources for the development of the area. It will also ensure the supply of the gas from Shewa to Daudkhel with the assistance of local elders.

The TORs also state that the commission could convene its meeting on need basis and also issue orders to arrange meetings of district and tehsil committees. In addition to this, the first meeting of the commission will take place within 15 days of the announcement of its formation while later it will meet once every two months.

The notification of the district and tehsil level committees will also be issued after receiving names of the members after consultation of tribal elders and elected representatives.

Earlier, last month, Mari Petroleum had announced “remarkable success at the Shewa-2 appraisal-cum-exploratory well, located in the North Waziristan district”.

In a statement the company had said that the well was drilled to test the hydrocarbon potential of the well’s exploratory targets ie Samanasuk and Kawagarh formations as well as appraise the Lockhart and Hangu formations, which were previously discovered at exploratory well Shewa-1.

“During the drill stem test carried out in the Kawagarh formation (exploratory target), gas flowed at a sustainable rate of 0.607 MMSCFD at WHFP of 97 psi at 32/64-inch choke size,” the statement said.

It said that the appraisal of the Lockhart and Hangu formations confirmed the extension of hydrocarbon play in these formations. “The Lockhart formation was tested at a gas flow rate (post-acid) of 51 MMSCFD and 391 barrels of condensate per day at WHFP of 5,972 psi at 38/64-inch choke size. The Hangu formation was also tested at a gas flow rate of 0.274 MMSCFD at WHFP of 77 psi at 32/64-inch choke size,” the statement added.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2024