ISLAMABAD: The National Logistics Cell (NLC) has categorically rejected a report of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) regarding alleged involvement of the NLC-owned bowszers in oil theft and said that a highly technical inquiry was conducted by non-technical person that raises doubts about the credibility of the report.
A spokesman for the NLC has categorically rejected findings of the FIA report published in a section of press under the headline “FIA report points finger at NLC-owned bowzers, contractor” on May 22nd, 2017.
The spokesman expressed reservations over the veracity of its findings, and said that neither the NLC-owned bowzers nor the NLC contractors have ever been found involved in theft of crude oil.
The fact that a highly-technical inquiry has been conducted by a non-technical person raises doubts about the credibility of the report.
With regard to involvement of 30 NLC-owned bowzers in the alleged theft, the spokesman said that no such incident as mentioned in the report happened in the year 2016.
Giving the breakup, he stated that 13 of the bowzers mentioned in the report were never engaged by NLC or its sub-contractors, whereas 14 bowzers are still employed by the NLC contractors with MOL, on which no objection has been raised by the MOL these being HSE compliant.
However, three of the reported bowzers were blacklisted and banned by the NLC during 2012-2013 on its own due to various charges and reservations against them to ensure strict control.
This shows NLC’s commitment and a policy of zero tolerance towards any kind of malpractice and irregularity.
Moreover, strict checking procedures enforced by all three stakeholders that is NLC, MOL and third party calibration since 2012 precludes any such notion of enhanced storage capacity of the bowzers.
Moreover, the spokesman said that almost three inquires had been conducted but neither opinion of the NLC was sought nor outcomes of those inquiries was shared with the NLC, which shows the partiality of inquiry and casual approach displayed by the FIA to dig the actual facts of the matter.
