Barrick Gold delegation calls on PM

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Barrick Gold Company, led by Chief Executive Officer Mark Bristow, met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday and informed him that the feasibility of the Reko Diq project in Balochistan would be completed by the end of the current year.

The prime minister said the Reko Diq project would prove to be a game changer for the development of Balochistan and the region. “This project will usher in a new era of development of the province and prosperity of the people,” he added.

He said planning would be made regarding communication infrastructure, especially railway lines, to take full advantage of minerals in Balochistan, the official news agency reported.

The prime minister asked Barrick Gold to also invest in other mineral projects in the province. He also proposed that the government and Barrick Gold could collaborate to establish a technical university in Chagai district.

The government is taking all possible measures to facilitate investors, especially in the fields of road and communication systems, he remarked.

While giving a briefing on the progress of the Reko Diq project, the Barrick Gold delegation informed the meeting that the Reko Diq project feasibility would be completed by the end of the current year.

The prime minister was informed that preference was being given to local and Balochistan domiciled persons to work on the project.

Barrick Gold officials said it had set up three schools near Reko Diq under the corporate social responsibility while so far the company had also imparted technical training to 100 people including women.

Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Muhammad Jehanzeb and relevant senior government officials participated in the meeting.