ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday urged the foreign companies to exploit the vast exploration opportunities in Pakistan as the security situation of the Country had changed altogether.
While addressing the two-day concluding ceremony of 2017 Annual Technical Conference in Islamabad, he said the presence of 35 exhibitors and around 1,500 participants in the Conference was a heartening opportunity for the experts as well as the industry to share their expertise with one another. He hoped that foreign firms participating in the Conference would avail the opportunities of partnership.
The Conference was organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and Pakistan Association of Petroleum Geo-scientists that was participated by exploration and production (E&P), service companies, regulatory authorities and academia.
The prime minister said that after improvement of the law and order, various areas were now open for exploration which were unsafe in the past.
Khaqan observed that last four and half years proved to be historic for the energy sector of Pakistan as the Country had replenished its reserves by successfully making around 100 discoveries. However, he said that a lot more yet to be done as the Country would require more energy to achieve its growth targets.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Pakistan was fast moving towards energy mix exploiting its potential in coal, wind and hydro sectors. He said that the government had been making extensive efforts to address the issue of Country’s energy shortage.
Moreover, he said that Pakistan had become a growing energy market, consequent to the government’s attractive policies which had also been recognized by the world.
The prime minister hoped that the Conference would have helped the participants to point out the opportunities and challenges in the E&P sector of the Country. He said that Pakistan looked forward for a greater efforts in E&P sector as more discoveries meant lesser import for the Country.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also visited the pavilions set up by the exhibitors to showcase their products as well as their achievements.
