The managing directors of Pakistan State Oil and Pak Arab Refinery Limited are allegedly building pressure on Punjab Police from big wigs of ruling elites seeking exemption from an investigation on multi billion worth oil theft.

Following the order of a parliamentary sub-committee to arrest the Managing Directors (MDs) of two leading energy companies for not appearing before it to testify over a large quantity of diesel and furnace oil worth in multi billions from a pipeline jointly owned by them and further direction to the Punjab Police to complete investigation into the scandal, take action within 20 days and submit a report to the committee, the Punjab Police dispatched enquiry notices to both top guns to appear before Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Investigation Punjab but both were found reluctant to appear for initial level investigation and has protested before the ministry of petroleum & natural resources and requested for exemption from the investigation.

The sub-committee will now meet on Jan 31 after a planned visit by it with members to Mahmoodkot for the site inspection on Jan 21.Sources aware of the matter told TheNation that both MDs of PSO and PARCO are found reluctant to appear before DIG Investigation Punjab police and have raise their resentments/protests to the petroleum ministry and sought immunity from worthy oil theft from the jointly (PSO & PARCO) owned pipeline near Mehmoodkot. Both high ups (PSO MD Naeem Yaha Mir and his Parco counterpart Tariq Razavi) are striving hard to ensure immunity from the investigation while utilising influence of ruling elites and have approached the ministry to built pressure on the police.

The NA committee on Petroleum & Natural Resources under the chair its head MNA Jamshed Dasti on January 9, 2012 while taking the issue of oil theft had expressed serious concern and directed Punjab Police to complete investigation into the scandal, take action within 20 days and submit a report to the committee. And, in the event of their failure to do so, the committee would submit its recommendations to the Supreme Court. The sub-committee also ordered to arrest managing directors of two leading energy companies as over 1.6 million litres of oil had been stolen from the pipeline.
It is to note here that the Punjab police told the committee about theft of furnace oil and diesel worth millions of rupees from the PSO-Parco pipeline and eight cases had been registered. Five accused have been arrested and recoveries of Rs8.5 million have been made so far. The Punjab Police during the course of meeting presented its report on oil theft from the combined pipelines of PSO and Parco. The report states that 1.1 million litres furnace oil and 20,000 litres diesel were stolen with the alleged involvement of PSO officials.

While a report from the Pakistan State Oil presented in the meeting also confirmed that 123,225 litres of oil had been stolen from the pipeline on Nov 7 last year of which 64,720 litres had been recovered while 58,595 litres had gone missing. The committee was also informed that another theft had been reported on Nov 9 but the quantity could not be ascertained.

Besides, Petroleum Secretary Dr Waqar Masood Khan told the committee that he would personally investigate the case and report to the committee.