Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that the federal government will bear the financial expenditure pertaining to the Reko Diq copper and gold mining project in Balochistan.
In a tweet on Wednesday night, PM Khan elaborated that the decision was taken in consistency with Islamabad’s plan to improve the conditions of smaller provinces.
The prime minister said that the move would help bring in a new era of fortune for Balochistan and its people.
In reaction to the prime minister’s announcement, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo hailed the announcement and thanked PM Khan.
This development follows CM Balochistan vetoing the opposition’s claims that the provincial government had signed a ‘secret agreement’ on the gold and copper mining project.
Speaking to media following the inauguration of a parking plaza, Bizenjo said that the provincial assembly members were provided an in-camera consultation on the issue, and said the province’s rights would be protected in the event a new deal is formed.
The CM Balochistan was mentioning a session of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly during which members of the opposition and treasury were given an in-camera briefing on the matter.
Pakistan lost the Reqo Diq case against the Australian company, Tethyan Copper Company, in the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in 2019. The company went to court against the country in ICSID under the Pakistan Australia Bilateral Investment Treaty of 1998.
