Mari Energies has received conditional approval to temporarily import an aircraft and conduct airborne Strike Field Detection (SFD) surveys across multiple exploration areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The approval allows the company to carry out surveys subject to a range of security, monitoring and data-sharing conditions. The permitted areas include Wali West, Waziristan and Karak Block in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with Block-28, Hanna, Hanna South, Ziarat and Ziarat North blocks in Balochistan.
The conditional no-objection certificate requires Mari Energies to conduct the airborne surveys only within areas mutually agreed with the relevant authorities. The company must provide at least two weeks’ advance notice before the arrival of the aircraft and survey team. The arrangement is intended to ensure that the movement of the aircraft and personnel can be coordinated with the authorities before survey operations begin across the designated exploration blocks.
The Strategic Plans Division (SPD) will have a direct monitoring role throughout the survey programme. Mari Energies is required to notify the SPD at least 48 hours before each individual survey sortie. Two SPD officers will accompany the aircraft during every sortie to monitor and coordinate the operation. In addition, the aircraft will undergo a pre-inspection by an SPD team before survey activities are conducted.
The approval also establishes a clearance process for subsequent survey flights. Each new sortie will require clearance from the SPD following an assessment of the data collected during the previous flight. This condition links the continuation of airborne exploration activity to the review of information generated through earlier missions, giving the authorities an opportunity to assess the survey results before approving additional sorties.
Strict controls have also been placed on the handling and movement of survey data. Mari Energies will not be permitted to transmit the collected survey data outside Pakistan without prior clearance from the SPD. The aircraft will also be restricted from carrying photographic or survey equipment other than the sensors and equipment specifically required for the approved survey and communications. These conditions are intended to control both the type of equipment used during the operation and the movement of information generated from the surveys.
The approval provides the SPD with priority rights if the airborne surveys identify areas containing strategic minerals. If the division decides to undertake activities in such areas, Mari Energies will be required to provide the necessary access and passage. This provision gives the government an avenue to pursue further activity in locations that may be considered strategically important based on the results of the exploration work.
The participation of foreign experts in the survey programme will also be subject to security requirements. Foreign experts will only be permitted to visit after obtaining the required security clearance, while local authorities will remain responsible for their security arrangements. Survey teams will also be prohibited from visiting or photographing key points and vital defence installations during their operations.
The routing and safe transit of each survey mission will be determined in consultation with the Directorate of Air Traffic Services. The process will cover the aircraft’s movement from take-off through the survey operation and back to landing. This requirement adds an aviation coordination layer to the approval and is intended to ensure that each mission follows an agreed route and complies with applicable air traffic arrangements.
Mari Energies will be responsible for the transportation, accommodation and other administrative expenses associated with the survey programme. The company has also been directed to certify its compliance with all conditions attached to the approval. This places responsibility on the company to ensure that its survey operations, personnel, equipment, aircraft movements and data handling remain within the terms of the conditional approval.
The permission provides Mari Energies with a route to use airborne technology in its exploration activities across selected blocks in two provinces while maintaining extensive government oversight. The combination of advance notifications, aircraft inspections, in-flight monitoring, sortie-by-sortie clearance, restrictions on equipment and controls over survey data reflects the security conditions attached to the exploration programme. The surveys could provide additional information about the designated exploration areas while any findings involving strategic minerals may also trigger further government involvement.
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