20 July 2021

Thank you for reaching out and taking the time to ensure that our version on the news is sought in the interest of fairness and impartiality. Please note that as a responsible corporate and community oriented organization, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company places great importance on safety of our people and our communities. Having said this, the news articles that you have highlighted claim that officials of the company “refused to meet the members of the [fact-finding] mission… to probe the murder of SECMC worker Dodo Bheel, who was allegedly tortured to death by SECMC’s security guards, as “they were directed by the high-ups of the Sindh government, which is the major shareholder in the project, to not meet the delegation [of the fact-finding mission].”

This does not represent the complete facts of the matter. With regards to the incident that occurred in Thar Block II where a third-party contract worker – Mr. Dodo Bheel passed away – we have been  fully cooperating with the relevant law enforcement agencies so that justice and complete transparency is ensured in the matter. In addition, we have offered our condolences to grieving family and the community while also pledging support to them in this time of need. In addition, immediately following the incident, the accused personnel have been suspended and an internal fact-finding is underway to further probe the matter. The Company has also been working closely with the local police who has been investigating the matter. Therefore, the impression that the organization refused to meet with the human rights committee to avoid information sharing is incorrect. In fact, what is not reported by the news article is the fact that the Company had shared responses and company stance on the incident with the fact-finding committee the same day they had visited the region in the interest of transparency.

We continue to take every measure to fully understand all aspects of the incident and are working closely with the law enforcement agencies to ensure that all decisions are taken as per the law and our Company policies.