Senate body seeks in-camera briefing on Reko Diq, Saindak projects

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum, after holding a thorough discussion on the mining of copper and gold deposits in Balochistan on Monday, has sought an in-camera briefing on the Reko Diq and Saindak projects.

Chaired by Senator Mohsin Aziz, the meeting was informed by the Petroleum Division officials that the case pertaining to the Reko Diq project was in international courts since the company filed its expenditure claims after the provincial government turned down its leasing request back in 2012.

Senator Mir Kabir Shahi said at that time, the company had demanded Rs6-7 billion against its expenditures, which have now mounted to $11.5-12 billion. He called for strict action against all the signatories of the flawed agreement signed with the company, which has been causing billions of rupees loss to the national exchequer.

He also expressed concerns that no one was allowed to visit the Saindak copper-gold field, so nothing could be said about the exact quantity of the mined minerals. “The project was scheduled to be completed by 2030, but the field went empty by 2018,” he lamented.