The vehicle of a Pakistani oil and natural extraction company was targeted in an IED explosion in Bolan, leading to heavy material damage and multiple casualties. The company is involved in exploring the areas for natural resources and the extraction of oil and natural gas. Meanwhile the Pakistani forces stationed for the security of the Gwadar Port were also attacked by the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
According to the details, a supply vehicle of the Moro Mughal Kot and Chiltan Formation was targeted by unknown assailants in an IED explosion in Machh, district Bolan, on Monday. The vehicle sustained heavy damage and multiple casualties were also reported. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The area is the site of a major oil extraction project which is led by Pakistan Petroleum Limited and Mari Petroleum. A large reservoir of petroleum and natural gas was discovered in the area in 2018 by a joint exploration team of Mari and the PPL. Mari Chief Asad Rabbani announced after the discovery that the two tube wells will be installed in the area for extraction. The two tube wells will produce a whopping 1500 barrels daily. The petroleum will be sent to Karachi for filtration and separation.
There are reports that Mari and the PPL are also being helped by foreign companies in the extraction process, but the officials have neither confirmed nor denied these allegations. Baloch “pro-independence” groups have warned Pakistani and foreign companies to refrain from extracting, which they call exploitation of the mineral resources of Balochistan. The armed groups have targeted oil extraction companies in multiple attacks.
The Pakistani forces were also targeted in a grenade attack in Gwadar. The Balochistan Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the attack in a media statement and claimed that one of the Pakistani soldiers was killed in the attack. The BLF said that the attack is a warning for the Barrick Gold Corporation, a Canada-based mining company, to refrain from involving itself in any projects in Balochistan. The group said that a delegation of the company is currently on an official visit to Gwadar and there are reports that Barrick Gold also intends to invest in the so-called development projects in Gwadar.