Special Report
ISLAMABAD:
Petroleum Division has postponed a three-day workshop which was earlier scheduled to be held from 18th-20th March 2023 at a private hotel located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa mainly to develop a strategic road map for petroleum sector after the Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif raised sincere concerns in this regard.
Altogether contrary to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s austerity mantra, Petroleum Division earlier planned to organize a three-day workshop primarily to bring together stakeholders, corporations, and companies working in the energy sector for developing a strategic road map for the entire value chain of the petroleum sector in Pakistan.
Whispering Pines Hotel & Residences is situated in Haripur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is located in the Heart of Margalla Hills at 4500 feet elevation (Whispering Pines Resort) and it is largely considered a practical “Dream Land”, designed for those who are looking for an exclusive tourist experience.
Available document disclosed that 55 top executives of public sector entities from across the country and the Petroleum Division, including Minister of State Dr Musadik Malik, were advised to come up with substantial cash or other financial arrangements as ATMs are not located at the venue of the workshop. Similarly, all participants were requested to bring laptops/iPods along with portable internet devices for the workshop and it was made mandatory for all the participants to remain available throughout the schedule of the workshop. Moreover, it was declared to all the nominated executives that no nomination will be accepted in lieu of the head of the organization.
“All participants are directed to report/register for the workshop on March 18 at 08:30 hrs at the venue/hotel, where it will be mandatory to remain available throughout the schedule of the workshop”, said an order dated 15th March 2023 of the petroleum division.
According to sources, petroleum division has so far conveyed the order to all participants for participation. However, the workshop is postponed now following sincere criticism from all walks of life for wasting national resources and for not utilizing government owned buildings, committee rooms of OGDCL, PLL, Planning Commission etc. Similarly, organizing a workshop by petroleum division in a private hotel was against the austerity measures/mantra of premier Shahbaz Sharif and wastage of national resources as well. Moreover, premier Shahbaz Sharif has raised sincere concerns for organizing this workshop in a private hotel on a tourist site without utilizing the government buildings, committee rooms, halls where national and international workshops, conferences usually convened, said sources.
