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16.11.2011
Balchistan has 1,339.25 tonnes of gold reserves
By Ijaz KakakhelISLAMABAD: Pakistan has 1,339.25 tonnes of gold reserves situated in Balochistan with 63.50 tonnes at Saindak and 1275.75 tonnes at Reko Diq, sources told Daily Times on Monday.These two major gold reserves are situated in district Chagi, Balochistan. The sources further said the Saindak Copper-Gold Project, Balochistan is the only project in the country, which is producing gold/silver as a by-product in a normal quantity. The gold production was 7.891 tonnes and silver 11.293 tonnes during five years from 2005 to 2009. Occurrence and showing of gold and silver had been reported from various parts of the country, including Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakh... details >>
14.09.2011
Balochistan govt refuses TCC mining licence
By Mohammad ZafarQUETTA: The government of Balochistan refused to grant a mining licence to TCC, thus preventing the firm from conducting mining operations for copper and gold in Chagai district of Balochistan.According to sources, the chief minister rejected a summary of the provincial government from the Mines and Mineral Department to grant a mining license to the TCC to resume work on the project.According to information, the Mines and Mineral Department of the grovincial government had presented the chief minister with several options with their pros and cons in the proposal. The TCC took the stand that it had spent hundreds of millions of dollars on exploration of copper and gold and s... details >>
17.08.2011
MNAs want people of Balochistan represented in oil, gas companies
* PML-N’s Javed Hashmi throws weight behind people of restive province * Says injustices done with people of Balochistan responsible for present situationBy Tanveer AhmedISLAMABAD: Members of National Assembly’s (NA) Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination, on Tuesday, lashed out at oil and gas companies for not giving due representation to the people of Balochistan in their staff, saying they believed it was a great injustice to the province, which catered to the energy requirements of the country for over half a century.The meeting presided over by Mir Ahmedan Bugti was held to review the development, expenditures and audit reports of oil and gas companies during the last 10 ye... details >>
26.07.2011
Balochistan employees go without salaries
By Shehzad Baloch
QUETTA:
The Balochistan government finds itself entangled in yet another financial crunch as it decided to opt for an overdraft from the State Bank of Pakistan in order to pay the pending salaries of government employees.
A senior official of the provincial finance department said that the province had no funds to pay its employees as the federal government had so far not released funds under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
“Balochistan, along with other provinces, was supposed to receive funds on July 17 to 20 under the NFC Award. However, the funds were not released. The federal government said it does not have the funds yet and has not release... details >>
26.07.2011
Balochistan govt facing serious financial problems
By Mohammad ZafarQUETTA: The Balochistan government is in a complete fix, facing serious financial difficulties in absence of federal funds.A government official confirmed that the provincial government is facing difficulties to pay the salary bill, as it did not have the funds to pay its employees.Other provinces are also facing financial difficulties, as they too did not get any money from the Federal Consolidated Fund. Now the Balochistan government has to resort to bank borrowing, preferably overdrafts from the State Bank of Pakistan.Last year, the federal government had picked up a bank overdraft worth Rs 17.5 billion, as the province was unable to pay it back. It was a big relief for t... details >>
26.06.2011
Shutter-down strike observed to condemn killing of BSO-Azad leader
QUETTA: A complete shutter-down strike was observed in various parts of Balochistan on Saturday condemning the killing of Baloch Student Organisation (BSO-Azad) leader Shafi Baloch in Mach on Thursday.The strike call was given by the Baloch National Front and the BSO-Azad. All the shops, markets, commercial establishments, banks and even pharmacies and restaurants remained closed for the day, bringing routines life in major parts of the province to a halt. The strike was observed in Turbat, Buleidai, Tump, Hoshap, Mand, Gwadar, Panjgur, Pasni, Hub, Khuzdar, Naal, Zehri, Mastung, Kalat, Wadh, and other parts of Balochistan.Strict security measures were observed in the districts to avoid any u... details >>
26.06.2011
Ministers flay govt for ‘denying’ funds to Balochistan
* Balochistan Employees Efficiency and Discipline Bill 2011 tabled in Balochistan AssemblyBy Mohammad ZafarQUETTA: The federal government came under severe criticism from the provincial ministers for denying legitimate shares and funds for the development of Balochistan.Provincial Minister for Agriculture Assad Baloch said that the federal government had not provided funds in accordance with the needs of Balochistan at a time when the province was facing serious economic problems that had been unattended for the past many decades.“At present we need more dams to boost our agriculture and farm production but the federal government had only allocated Rs 500 million for the construction of dams... details >>
26.05.2011
Balochistan govt to decide leasing of Reko Diq: SC
* SC withdraws stay order in Reko Diq case By Hasnaat MalikISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC), on Wednesday, while withdrawing the stay order in Reko Diq case, recommended to the Balochistan government to decide about leasing of copper and gold mining project to Tethyan Copper Company Pakistan (TCCP) on merit.A three-member bench was hearing the case against leasing of Reko Diq gold and copper deposits in Balochistan, worth over $260 billion, to a foreign exploration and mining company, Tethyan Copper Company (TCC), a Canadian and Chilean consortium of Barrick Gold and Antofagasta Minerals, by the federal and the provincial governments in violation of the lawThe court asked the Balochistan go... details >>
22.05.2011
Raisani rejects Pak-China Gawadar Port deal
QUETTA: The Provincial Chief Minister, Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, has rejected the Pakistan-China deal on Gawadar Port saying that he was not consulted, thus he was dissatisfied with the deal.The federal defence minister had disclosed that the Chinese government had agreed to a request from Pakistan to take over Gawadar Port Operation once the tenure of Singapore Port Authority expired. He also disclosed that the Pakistan government had also requested China to build a naval base in Gawadar. Talking to journalists on Saturday night, Nawab Aslam Raisani said that his government was not consulted and with such decisions, the sense of deprivation would increase among the people of Balochistan... details >>
14.05.2011
Balochistan finance minister walks out of APCC meeting
ISLAMABAD: Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Asim Kurd and his economic team on Friday staged a walkout from the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) meeting in protest over “insufficient” provincial development budget, official sources told Daily Times. The Balochistan finance minister alleged that the promises made with the provincial government last year were not honoured. Kurd held that distribution of development funds on the basis of population was unacceptable to the Balochistan government. He termed the APCC meeting “photo session”, and said that out of the Rs 280 billion PSDP, measly Rs 29 billion allocation for the province was not acceptable. He dubbed the PSDP “drama” and sai... details >>
09.04.2011
Gold exploration licence on offer for $100
Mining firm hunts for new buyer after 10 years of prospecting and spending of millions of dollars in Balochistan
Islamabad: "God forbid fools are not sitting here," said Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry when the Supreme Court was informed that a company was offering to sell its licence to prospect for copper and gold in Balochistan to another firm for just $100.
An advocate representing the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) told the Supreme Court on Thursday that BHP, a company exploring copper and gold deposits at Reko Diq in Balochistan, was offering to sell its prospecting licence to a new buyer for $100 after it achieved nothing despite wasting 10 years and millions of... details >>
18.01.2011
Balochistan govt denies secret deal on Reko Diq
* Govt spokesman says gold, copper is people’s property and govt will not allow anyone to usurp it * Requests media not to make issue controversialBy Mohammad ZafarQUETTA: The Balochistan government has denied any secret agreement with any foreign firm on Reko Diq copper and gold reserves, saying it had no intention to make any such agreement.A spokesman for the Balochistan government issued a lengthy statement on Monday quoting the provincial chief minister as saying that Reko Diq in particular and mineral wealth in general remained a provincial matter before and after the 18th Amendment.“The provincial government reserves the right to defend the legitimate interests of the people of Baloch... details >>
13.01.2011
Reko Diq: Pakistan risks squandering billions in questionable deal
KARACHI: In what is being described as the most unfair business deal of the decade, the multi-billion-dollar Reko Diq copper-and-gold project has been placed at the mercy of a consortium of companies who may walk away with its riches, robbing the country of a golden opportunity to lift itself out of its growing external debt.
The consortium will take away 75 per cent of the income while the Balochistan government will get a paltry 25 per cent of share from the project as part of the terms of agreement.
Geologists have estimated that Reko Diq contains mineral deposits worth $500 billion and if the authorities did not take action immediately, this golden opportunity of... details >>
21.12.2010
NATO Trains Afghan Army To Guard Asian Pipeline
ATO Trains Afghan Army To Guard Asian PipelineRick Rozoff
On December 11 the presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan and the energy minister of India met in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat to bring to fruition fifteen years of planning by interests in the United States to bring natural gas from the Caspian Sea to the energy-needy nations of South and East Asia.
Presidents Hamid Karzai, Asif Ali Zardari and Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov along with Indian Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora signed agreements - an Inter-Government Agreement and the Gas Pipeline Transmission Agreement - to construct a natural gas pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and... details >>
16.12.2010
Centre, Balochistan on warpath on Reko Diq
By Ahmad NooraniISLAMABAD: An open war has erupted between the Presidency and the government of Balochistan on gold and copper mines of Reko Diq with the province determined to take over the whole project and manage it through Dr Samar Mubarakmand while the Centre is trying its best to hand it over to a foreign company. Dr Samar’s notification as member of the Planning Commission was not issued even on December 15, and on the other hand, the federal government attorneys stoutly defended the foreign company in the Supreme Court. The federal ministry of petroleum and natural resources had issued specific instruction to its lawyers to support the foreigners.On the other hand, the government of ... details >>
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