A group of Pakistan’s top businessmen is reportedly interested in acquiring copper and gold mines in Balochistan.
According to the reports, the Balochistan government has already held a meeting with four different companies/conglomerates. The companies have expressed willingness to invest up to $1 billion to acquire and develop the mines. However, to acquire the mines, the companies will have to participate in a bidding process.
The four interested groups are Lucky Cement Ltd., Arif Habib Group, Fatima Group, and Liberty Power Tech Ltd. The copper/gold mines are located in Reko Diq, Balochistan.
Previously, the license to develop gold and copper mines at Reko Diq was held by Barrick Gold Corp. and Antofagasta Plc. However, the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhary revoked the license in 2011.
Barrick Gold Corp. and Antofagasta Plc moved against the Pakistan government, taking their case to the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). In July, ICSID declared its verdict imposing a fine of $5.8 billion on Pakistan.
Reko Diq, a small town in Chagai, Balochistan, has the biggest gold and copper deposits in Pakistan. Once fully developed, 250,000 ounces of gold and 200,000 tons of copper can be extracted from the mines each year for the next 50 years.
Via: Al Jazeera
i didnt know that. very informative
Billionaires of Karachi are progressing under Mr Abdul Razzak Dawood. He is making sure that all benefits will go to Karachi and to a certain ethnic group and the rest of Pakistani businessmen are suffering. This discrimination should end.
Abdul Razzak has business interests in Lucky Group, Arif Habib and Fatima Group and they want to bid on Gold mine project. This is the conflict of interest right there.
why we see the name of LUCKY group & Arif habib in every biding process ?
why not others ?
Lucky Group & Arif Habib did not have any experience in Mines, may be thier is some confilict of interest.