The Reko Diq resolution was passed by the Balochistan PA.
The adoption of the resolution came just one day after the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the Reko Diq settlement agreement.
QUETTA: On Saturday, despite opposition parties’ objections, the Balochistan Assembly passed a resolution regarding the Reko Diq project, completing a requirement for the settlement deal between Pakistan and Barrick Gold to move forward.
The House passed a resolution giving the federal government control over excise taxes and other types of taxes.
The resolution was introduced by Rubaba Buledi, a Parliamentary Secretary.
The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) and the JUI-F staged a walkout from the House as part of the combined opposition.
Akhtar Hussain Langove, a member of the opposition who is affiliated with the BNP-M, remarked that “this is an attempt to take the resources of Balochistan.”
Balochistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Babar Khan Musakhel presented the resolution to the legislators for a vote amidst the commotion in the House.
Only three or four opposition members prevented the House from passing the resolution and giving the federal government control over taxes.
A day after the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the Reko Diq settlement agreement, this resolution was passed.
The Balochistan Chief Minister, Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, declared that the SC ruling had validated his administration’s stand on the Reko Diq project.
He further stated that the agreement with Barrick Gold Corporation has received approval from all political parties, including the coalition partners and the opposition parties.
The BNP-M, however, opposed the resolution’s approval, according to Malik Naseer Ahmed Shahwani, the party’s parliamentary leader in the Balochistan Assembly, who spoke to media following the session.
He continued, “It is unfair to the Baloch people.”
According to Shahwani, the Balochistan Assembly session’s resolution was not disclosed to the province parliamentarians.
The Supreme Court (SC) ruled on Friday that the settlement agreement for the reactivation of the Reko Diq mining project between the Pakistani government and two foreign corporations, Antofagasta and Barrick Gold Corporation, was legitimate.
Following a five-judge bigger bench of the supreme court’s reservation of judgement in the presidential referral on the matter on November 29, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial issued the 13-page brief order.
The presidential reference sought the SC’s view on whether or not its 2013 ruling precluded the Centre and province governments from joining into the implementation accord again after the settlement deal was struck in March.
The Supreme Court noted in its ruling that the settlement agreement did not violate the 2013 ruling by the Supreme Court of India declaring the original accord unconstitutional.
The SC further stated that the Balochistan Assembly had been taken into confidence and that both the federal and provincial administrations had signed the pact with expert advice.
It further noted that elected officials had not raised any objections to the arrangement either.
The mining company reportedly promised that corporate social responsibility would be ensured as well as the enforcement of labour rules.
Additionally on Friday, the Sindh Assembly approved two resolutions pertaining to the Reqo Diq project while deferring to all other items on the legislative agenda.
The resolutions, which MPA Mukesh Chawla introduced, emphasised the necessity for the Center to provide an environment in Sindh that is welcoming to foreign investors and that also protects the rights of workers.
