Explanation
Petroleum exploration in Pakistan began in the early 1860s during the British colonial period.The first oil well was drilled in 1866 near Kundian, Punjab, by the Burmah Oil Company.
***
- 1950: Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) was established.
- 1952: The first oil field in Pakistan was discovered in Balochistan, near the Sui gas field.
- 1957: PPL discovered natural gas in Khairpur.
- 1960-70: Exploration shifted from gas to oil.
- 1961: PPL and Pakistan Oilfields began drilling with Soviet assistance.
- 1964: Activity began in the Toot oil field in Punjab.
- 2001: MGCL was granted a license to explore oil and gas.
- 2005: International Sovereign Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited to develop the Toot field.
