Pakistan: Exxon Is Close To Making A Mega Oil Discovery

[Swordsmyth]

ExxonMobil is close to discovering huge oil reserves in Pakistan near the border with Iran, and those reserves could even be larger than the oil reserves of Kuwait, the Pakistani Minister for Maritime Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, said over the weekend.
Addressing business leaders at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Haroon said that Exxon had drilled for oil close to the Iranian border and that the U.S. supermajor was optimistic about the oil find.
“Foreign investors are interested in coming to Pakistan, provided we manage to meet their standards and attract them to make investment,” the Pakistani minister said in a press release published by the FPCCI.
According to Arab News, if the oil discovery in Pakistan turns out to be as large as expected, the country would rank among the world’s top ten oil producing countries, ahead of Kuwait.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oi...Discovery.html

[Zippyjuan]

Maybe not. Exxon/ Mobile only recently entered an agreement to look for off-shore oil. They have not been involved in any on-shore drilling or exploration.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/paki...-be-fake-news/

However, the statement seems contrary to the facts and virtually another piece of FAKE news, an indication of which is multiple factors.

Firstly, ExxonMobil is not operating in Balochistan province and is not involved in any exploration. It is only working on an offshore field with ENI, PPL, and OGDC with a 25 percent interest.

Secondly, Pakistan Petroleum Information Service, which keeps a record of explorations in the country, has not mentioned the ‘so-called’ discovery of huge oil reserves on its website.

Moreover, the ministry of energy has officially announced that there is no truth to the discovery of oil reserves as a result of drilling by ExxonMobil.

According to a statement, the ministry clarified that no license was issued to the American firm in question and so it could not carry out drilling unilaterally.

Furthermore, Husain Haroon has officially denied the quote about a big ExxonMobil oil discovery in Pakistan.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/255171/pak...gas-in-2017-2/

JUNE 20, 2018

Exxon-Mobil’s Entry in Pakistan

American energy giant Exxon-Mobil has joined the offshore oil and gas exploration efforts started by Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Italian energy giant ENI, according to media reports.

Each company will have 25% stake in the joint venture under an agreement signed at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in May among ExxonMobil, Government Holdings Private Limited (GHPL), PPL, ENI and OGDC.

Exxon-Mobile’s entry in Pakistan brings deep offshore drilling technology, its long experience and financial resources to the country. It is expected to accelerate exploration and more discoveri

More at links.

[RonZeplin]

The Ruskies are in Paki too.

Pak in Russia’s embrace
Aug 14, 2018, 12:59 AM (IST)

Trump has impacted India’s ties with Russia by ignoring Pakistan



For months the hawks of Washington were urging the Trump administration to choke the military assistance and funding to Pakistan. They accused the South Asian country of harbouring terrorists and continue supporting non-state actors in Afghanistan. Under the new South Asian policy, the Trump administration believed India could be a more dependable and trustworthy partner to resolve the Afghan quandary, instead of Pakistan. It reflected their short-sightedness

Pak-US relations are as low as they were during era of the Pressler Amendment. Both countries have been accusing each other for different reasons. Misunderstandings are beyond counting.
Expectations are beyond imagination.

The Trump administration has not only denied financial assistance to the Pakistan army, it has also refused to train senior Pakistan army officials in the US academic and military institutions. Since 2001, hundreds of Pakistan army officials visit the US every year to get training in modern warfare under the Pentagon's International Military Education and Training (IMERT). The idea behind that decade-long exercise was to equip Pakistani military officials with necessary skills to combat terrorism at the strategic level. Islamabad anticipated harsh decisions by the Trump administration and hence started cultivating relations with Moscow, especially after an infamous tweet by President Trump on the eve of New Year. Trump had accused Pakistan of cheating, deceiving and backstabbing.

Last week, Islamabad signed a similar agreement with Moscow which it had signed with the United States after 9/11. Now Pakistan military officials would get enrolment in the Russian institutions for the training. The supply of military hardware and equipment is also expected to increase in coming years.

Moscow also sent its envoy in Islamabad to meet prime minister in-waiting Imran Kahn, at the latter's residence. The Russian ambassador urged Imran Khan to fast track the growing relations between the two countries. Khan expressed interest in economic cooperation and told the envoy that Russian that drilling companies should come and explore oil and gas in Pakistan. The two countries are also motivated by the threats of a growing presence of Islamic State militants in neighboring Afghanistan which may jeaopardise key Russian interests in Iran and Central Asia as well.