Lingering dispute: Dr Malik hints at out of court deal on Reko Diq
Balochistan CM says his govt is not ready to continue with Tethyan over the project.
QUETTA:
Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch on Thursday said that the committee formed in connection with the Reko Diq Gold and Copper Project dispute is looking into the possibility of an out of court settlement with the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC).
“The Balochistan government, at this point in time, is not ready to continue with TCC because it has violated the Pakistan Mines and Minerals Rules, and the Balochistan Mines and Minerals Rules,” he said while briefing the media on the issue at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
Dr Malik said the International Court for Settlement of Disputes, after hearing the case for 15 days, had termed the issue ‘complicated’ and advised all parties involved to work out an out of court settlement. He added that the government-constituted committee, which comprises both provincial and federal officials, would decide a course of action in the best interest of Balochistan and Pakistan.
The chief minister expressed displeasure over allegations levelled against his government by opposition and nationalist parties. The latter has accused the Balochistan government of reaching some compromise over the Reko Diq mines.
“We have not made any kind of deal with TCC,” the chief minister said in plain words. “We are not ready to sell a single rock from Balochistan, much less Reko Diq which is an asset of the people of the province,” he said.
“So making a deal on the project is out of the question.”
The chief minister added that he would take up the issue of allegations against him and his government in court. “I won’t go into details about the allegations, but I will say that I have the documents and record of the opposition leader and two news presenters who made them,” he told reporters.
Dr Malik said there would be complete transparency whenever a final decision regarding Reko Diq is reached. He said both the Balochistan and federal government were on the same page regarding the project.
“International legal experts who were fighting on behalf of the government have worked day and night to protect the interest of the people of Pakistan,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2014.
Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch on Thursday said that the committee formed in connection with the Reko Diq Gold and Copper Project dispute is looking into the possibility of an out of court settlement with the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC).
“The Balochistan government, at this point in time, is not ready to continue with TCC because it has violated the Pakistan Mines and Minerals Rules, and the Balochistan Mines and Minerals Rules,” he said while briefing the media on the issue at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
Dr Malik said the International Court for Settlement of Disputes, after hearing the case for 15 days, had termed the issue ‘complicated’ and advised all parties involved to work out an out of court settlement. He added that the government-constituted committee, which comprises both provincial and federal officials, would decide a course of action in the best interest of Balochistan and Pakistan.
The chief minister expressed displeasure over allegations levelled against his government by opposition and nationalist parties. The latter has accused the Balochistan government of reaching some compromise over the Reko Diq mines.
“We have not made any kind of deal with TCC,” the chief minister said in plain words. “We are not ready to sell a single rock from Balochistan, much less Reko Diq which is an asset of the people of the province,” he said.
“So making a deal on the project is out of the question.”
The chief minister added that he would take up the issue of allegations against him and his government in court. “I won’t go into details about the allegations, but I will say that I have the documents and record of the opposition leader and two news presenters who made them,” he told reporters.
Dr Malik said there would be complete transparency whenever a final decision regarding Reko Diq is reached. He said both the Balochistan and federal government were on the same page regarding the project.
“International legal experts who were fighting on behalf of the government have worked day and night to protect the interest of the people of Pakistan,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2014.