PRE-BID MEETING FOR SALE OF MINIMUM OF 90% SHARES OF HAZARA PHOSPHATE FERTILIZERS LTD ON WEDNESDAY

Islamabad, October 17, 2006

The Privatisation Commission has scheduled a pre-bid meeting on Wednesday October 18, 2006 at Privatisation Commission’s conference room at Islamabad for the sale of minimum of 90% shares of Hazara Phosphate Fertilizers Ltd (HPFL). PC had received nine Expressions of Interest (EOI) from prospective investors (fertilizers companies, industrial companies and groups, investors / consortium of investors for the sale of minimum of 90% shares of Hazara Phosphate Fertilizers Ltd (HPFL), owned by National Fertilizers Corporation of Pakistan (NFC), located at Haripur (NWFP) – 75 km from Islamabad. Out of which one party has been disqualified. Thus there are remaining eight (8) potential bidders. The factory is situated on 57 acres on developed land and includes factory, housing and other amenities.

The pre-bid moot will create better understanding of the privatisation process among the prospective bidders and will also respond to the queries raised by the investors regarding the transaction. The interested parties have already completed the due diligence of the transaction.

The parties, which had submitted EOIs include 1-Al-Hamza Ship Breaking Company & Group, Karachi, 2-Allah Din Group of Companies, Lahore, 3-Al-Tuwairqi Group of Companies, Karachi, 4-Amjad Textile Mills Limited, Lahore, 5-Chanar Sugar Mills Limited, Lahore, 6-Nishat (Chunian) Limited, Lahore, 7-TN Associates, Islamabad and 8-Zaver Mining Company (Pvt) Limited, Islamabad.

HPFL produces 90,000 metric tons per annum of Granular Single Super Phosphate (GSSP) and 30,000 metric tons per annum of Sulphuric Acid required for the production of GSSP. The plant was rehabilitated and re-commissioned in April 1999.