Aerial geological survey: government turns down US offer

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Aerial geological survey: government turns down US offer

ISLAMABAD (April 02 2010): Pakistan has turned down United States (US) offer of aerial geological survey to explore natural reserves due to security concerns, Business Recorder has learnt reliably. Sources said that the cabinet was informed on March 10 that the US government had offered its assistance in conducting an aerial geological survey, which was not acceptable due to the Defence Ministry as it feared leakage of security assets of Pakistan.

"US was explicably not ready to share the data with Pakistan collected through aerial geological survey, "sources said adding that Pakistan has accepted Chinese assistance to conduct a comprehensive scientific geological survey of Pakistan, which will be helpful in exploring oil, gas and mineral reserves. According to sources, Defence Ministry has supported the proposal to involve Chinese Geological Survey (CGS) for geosciences co-operation.

Ministry of Defence has clarified that it has no objection to co-operation between the Geological Survey of Pakistan and Chinese Geological Survey from terrain-point of view subject to the condition that: (i) propriety rights of the complete geo data collected by any means/processing shall remain with host country (Pakistan); and (ii) any sharing of collected data will be on selective basis and subject to scrutiny and explicit permission.

The government of Pakistan had requested the Chinese government to identify its specialised entity that would undertake a comprehensive scientific geological survey of Pakistan in order to explore oil, gas and mineral resources. CGS in the Chinese Ministry of Land Resources has now been identified as one such entity.

A framework of co-operation in the fields of geology and minerals exists between Pakistani Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources and Chinese Ministry of Land Resources through a MoU signed in October 2008. The MoU provides help in co-operative research on geosciences, geological survey and mineral resources, management of mineral exploration and development and other areas of mineral interest. Under this MoU, CGS and GSP are already co-operating.

According to sources, CGS has now expressed its willingness to intensify co-operation with Pakistan in carrying out a comprehensive scientific geological survey of Pakistan. In a meeting with Pakistani Ambassador to China, President of CGS, who is also vice Minister of Chinese Ministry of Land Resources made the following points: (i) CGS would like to invite Director General GSP to discuss the full scope of-co-operation; (ii) China is ready to share the acquired expertise and technology with Pakistan; and (iii) China is ready to conduct cross-border metallurgical research along Pak-China border in collaboration with Pakistan which will benefit both countries.

Ministry of Land Resources will enlist the support of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) for a training programme for Pakistani experts in the field. Director General Geological Survey of Pakistan may be designated as the focal point for negotiations with the China Geological Survey in order to develop a long-term comprehensive framework for co-operation in the geosciences and mineral evaluation in Pakistan.

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