Pakistan, July 27 -- The Directorate General of Petroleum Concessions (DGPC), Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division), has served show-cause notices to M/s Spud Energy Pty Limited (SEPL) and M/s Frontier Holdings Limited (FHL) over an alleged change in ownership and effective control without prior government approval-an act that may constitute a violation of the applicable Petroleum Rules of 1986 and 2001.

The concern of the Petroleum Division is that if there is any change in a company's ownership or board, it is necessary to obtain approval from the Petroleum Division. This is to ensure that the new owners or board members do not include citizens of countries hostile to Pakistan, such as India or Israel, as such individuals pose a secu...