HDIP report debunks Islamabad 'crude oil' discovery claim

ISLAMABAD: The Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP) has debunked the claims of the discovery of crude oil in an Islamabad neighbourhood.

The HDIP took samples of combustible liquid reportedly discovered in Islamabad’s Sector H-13 for testing and compiled a report.

“From the results, it doesn’t seems Crude Oil as there is no lighter components at all,” the report concluded.

“It seems that diesel leaked from some nearby storage facility over years, however review may be taken from exploration companies like OGDCL and PPL for evaluation of the area for occurance of crude.”

Dozens of local residents had installed suction machines to pump out “oil” and began selling it before the area was sealed by the local administration.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat had tweeted, “At the moment we have sealed over a dozen such pumps.”

“Local were selling oil to brick kilns,” he said, adding the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) was investigating the issue with Assistant Commissioner Abdullah Khan.