Pakistan is rich in natural resources, including oil, gas, coal, gold, copper, and other resources. About one dozen multinational oil and gas exploration and production firms are engaged in oil and gas exploration and production in Pakistan, especially in its Sindh province. There are serious issues associated with multinational firms’ oil and gas exploration and product processes. These include weak legal frameworks to properly monitor the standards of exploration and production of the natural resources, the secrecy about the output of the natural resources, a flawed system of sharing the revenues with the federal government, including royalty on oil and gas resources, little care for the environment and biodiversity and community health and blatant violation of environmental laws and rules as well as depriving the local communities of production bonus, social welfare ( CSR) funds, trainings, capacity building, and jobs, etc.
PDI is engaged in community awareness and advocacy with the extractive industries, government officials, and other concerned stakeholders, as well as lobbying with the elected representatives for greater oversight of the extractive industries. PDI is also engaged in field studies and consultative processes to bring realities from the field about on-the-ground violation of the legal framework, community, and biodiversity rights by the extractive industries. PDI is also engaged in reviewing the legal framework concerned with licensing, monitoring the extractive industries, and suggesting improvements in the legal framework and implementation mechanisms.
