Current Final

Category: Politics

  • What is Reko Diq and how does it help us?

    What is Reko Diq and how does it help us?

    Reko Diq has been deemed a game changer for Pakistan as its natural resources have the potential to improve the country’s struggling economy.

    However, the question remains: How can the Reko Diq project change Pakistan’s financial dynamics?

    The Pakistani government first signed an agreement on the Reko Diq copper and gold reserve in 1993 with the Australian mining company Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP) Minerals.

    In 2000, BHP handed over the project to Tethyan Copper Company (TCC), a joint venture of Antofagasta of Chile and the Barrick Gold Corporation.

    The Diplomat Magazine reported that in 2006, TCC invested $200-400 million to take over the project and convert the exploration permit into a mining license. However, in 2011, the Balochistan government rejected TCC’s application, and in 2013, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled against the mining license.

    Meanwhile, when the Balochistan government cancelled the mining license, TCC filed for international arbitration at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), alleging a breach of contract.

    A new agreement was signed in 2022, under which Barrick agreed to a 50 percent stake, down from the previous 75 percent.

    In 2024, after the withdrawal of Barrick Gold Cooperation from Riko Diq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia entered into a preliminary agreement for Islamabad to sell a 15 percent stake in the mining project to Saudi investors.

    Reqo Diq covers an area of 3.3 million acres in the Chagai district, bordering Iran and Afghanistan. Beneath this dusty surface lies one of the world’s largest undeveloped gold and copper reserves.

    A geological Survey in 1978 discovered the gold and copper resources in Chaghi.

    According to Dawn News, estimated deposits of Riko Diq are around 200,000 tons of copper and 250,000 ounces of gold a year for nearly 50 years.

    Chagai is one of the poorest areas of Pakistan and South Asia. With one of the lowest literacy rates and the highest infant and maternal mortality rates, Chagai district ranks lowest in Pakistan on most social and human development indicators.

    Saudi Minister for Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh addressed the Pakistan Saudi Arabia Business Forum in Islamabad on Thursday, saying that the ties between his country and Pakistan “have no limits” and that this extends to economic cooperation as well.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will sign an agreement worth around two billion dollars.

    “I think there are essentially no limits to what Saudi Arabia and Pakistan can do in the economic sphere, just like there are no limits to our friendship, to our bonds, to our historic relations,” stated the Saudi Minister.

    Al Faleh stated that Saudi Arabia intends to invest in Pakistan’s infrastructure and mining sectors, and his delegation would sign 25 agreements across various fields.

  • ‘Mehar, calm down!’: Bilawal laughs when anchor quotes Fawad Chaudhary

    ‘Mehar, calm down!’: Bilawal laughs when anchor quotes Fawad Chaudhary

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto had a sarcastic yet sassy reply to television host Meher Bukhari on Dunya News when she quoted former PTI member Fawad Chaudhary’s claim about judges of superior courts possibly resigning.

    Feigning a surprises expression, he asked Bokhari who claimed that judges will resign. When told it was Fawad, he said, “Well then, we’ve lost… I give up… Fawad Chaudhry has spoken, so why are we even continuing this interview?”

    The former Foreign Minister couldn’t help but laugh as Mehr Bokhari went on to narrate the full quote, stating: “Mehar, calm down! He has nothing to do with the constitutional amendments.”

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been at the forefront of campaigning for controversial constitutional amendments aimed at judicial reforms amidst intense opposition from lawyers, some factions of legal experts and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

  • PTI delegation meets Fazlur Rehman; Bilawal claims amendments will pass before Oct 25

    PTI delegation meets Fazlur Rehman; Bilawal claims amendments will pass before Oct 25

    A delegation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) met Chief Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday to inquire about his stance on the incumbent government’s proposed constitutional amendments.

    The government intends to table the constitutional amendment in parliament after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which is taking place on October 15 and 16.

    The PTI delegation led by Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan included Advocate Salman Akram Raja, Hamid Khan and Raoof Hassan. They discussed the political situation in Pakistan and the twenty-sixth constitutional amendment at Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence.

    Speaking to the media after the meeting, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said, “We will review the draft of the 26th constitutional amendment first, and only then can we discuss it. But the government has turned it into a mystery.”

    He said that both JUI-F and PTI believed in the independence of the judiciary.

    Meanwhile, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed that the government wanted to create a consensus among all political parties, including JUI-F, on the 26th constitutional amendment.

    He predicted on Tuesday that the constitutional amendment will be passed by the parliament by October 25.

    Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Bilawal Bhutto said, “There is no deadline from our side for the constitutional amendment.”

    Bhutto remarked that the government has the option to secure the required majority number under “conscience voting,” adding, “Despite this, efforts are being made to reach a consensus.”

  • Were Bilawal Bhutto’s remarks on Justice Mansoor Ali Shah misrepresented in a video clip?

    Were Bilawal Bhutto’s remarks on Justice Mansoor Ali Shah misrepresented in a video clip?

    A partial video clip of Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto was circulating online, giving the impression that he said that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court wouldn’t be able to control the other top court judges.

    Appearing on Dunya News programme, ‘Dunya Meher Bokhari Kay Sath,’ he actually remarked, “I don’t have the confidence that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will be able to control the other judges, Some of whom have shown a tendency that be it in the 63A case, be it in the original practice and procedure case whatever their position may be today, they have time and time and time again proved that they willing to go beyond the constitution to achieve a political aim.”

    He further said, “PPP respects both Chief Justice Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah,” and added that some judges have attempted several times to go beyond the 63-A Practice and Procedure case to achieve their political objectives.

    Bilawal claimed that for the first time in history, a chief justice “shared his authority” with another judge, and this happened during the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa’s tenure.

  • Did Barrister Saif slap Imran Riaz Khan?

    Did Barrister Saif slap Imran Riaz Khan?

    Rumours have been spreading on social media that Advisor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Barrister Muhammad Saif slapped YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan over his misconduct with Chief Minister (CM) KP Ali Amin Gandapur.

    Netizens claimed that Imran Riaz Khan met with CM Ali Amin Gandapur in Peshawar and misbehaved with him.

    Journalist Murtaza Solangi claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that when Ali Amin Gandapur reached CM House, YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan was also present there with the provincial cabinet.

    Imran misbehaved with Ali Amin Gandapur, upon which Barrister Saif slapped Riaz twice and pushed him out from there, Solangi wrote on X (formerly Twitter) without taking names.

    Veteran journalist Umar Cheema, on his Youtube channel, claimed that Barrister Saif denied the allegation of slapping Imran Riaz Khan over his misbehaviour with Ali Amin Gandapur.

    “Advisor KP acted like an illiterate person during the incident,” Cheema stated.

    However. Imran Riaz informed Umar Cheema that there was a confrontation with Barrister Saif regarding Saif’s recent statement about inviting Indian External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to address the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad and clarified that they were not involved in a physical altercation.

    Cheema concluded by saying that later, CM KP mediated between Barrister Saif and Imran Riaz Khan.

  • Next target is Shehbaz Sharif’s bedroom if Khan allows: Ali Amin Gandapur

    Next target is Shehbaz Sharif’s bedroom if Khan allows: Ali Amin Gandapur

    Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur addressed lawmakers in the KP Assembly yesterday, claiming, “If Imran Khan allows, we will reach Shehbaz Sharif’s bedroom next time.”

    Gandapur has recently come under fire from his party members and supporters for his mysterious role in last week’s PTI rally when he disappeared on October 5 in Islamabad, only to resurface in the KP Assembly a day later.

    “However, Imran Khan has ordered us to remain peaceful and follow the law, and we proved that last week in our protest,” said Gandapur told the KP Assembly.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Talal Chaudhry, while speaking on Geo News, stated: “This isn’t a Bani Gala bedroom where anyone can enter and exit. We know how to protect our state institutions, our leaders and most of all our country.”

  • ‘Pakistan to have two Chief Justices after new constitutional court,’ says Farooq H. Naek

    ‘Pakistan to have two Chief Justices after new constitutional court,’ says Farooq H. Naek

    Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), renowned lawyer Farooq Hamid Naek said on Wednesday that there will be two Chief Justices in Pakistan after the formation of the new Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).

    Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council from Islamabad claimed that one Chief Justice will head the Federal Constitutional Court while the other will lead the Supreme Court of Pakistan, ARY News reported.

    He further stated that constitutional court judges’ performance will be recorded, and they could be removed through the Judicial Commission based on recommendations, adding that the Committee will propose names for the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.

    Naek further said that the Federal Constitutional Court will have representation from all four provinces of Pakistan.

    Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto, has been campaigning to win the confidence of lawyers nationwide for the formation of a Constitutional Court.

    Addressing the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, the PPP Chairman stated, “If you don’t accept the constitutional courts, you should leave the practice.”

    Meanwhile, some lawyers have rejected the formation of a new constitutional court.

    Speaking at the All Pakistan Lawyers Convention (APLC) organised by the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) on Monday, lawyers condemned the judicial package and declared it a tactic by anti-democratic forces to control the independence of the judiciary.

  • Achakzai fears Khan may be treated like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

    Achakzai fears Khan may be treated like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

    Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai, while addressing a public meeting in Qila Saifullah, Balochistan, warned on Monday that a dark chapter of history could repeat itself, fearing Imran Khan could be treated the same way Zulifqar Ali Bhutto was.

    On April 4, 1979, the founder of the Pakistan People’s Party, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, whose government had been illegally removed by the dictator Zia ul Haq, was hanged in the Central Jail Rawalpindi.

    Former Prime Minister Bhutto was sentenced to death by Lahore High Court in 1978 in an alleged politically motivated murder case, while the Supreme Court later upheld the original sentence.

    Mary Anne Weaver, a foreign correspondent for The New Yorker, narrated the last moments of Bhutto in 1993, writing, “At 1:45 A.M. on April 4, 1979, four wardens entered the prison cell of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a waifishly thin man, nearly wasted away by malaria, dysentery, and hunger strikes. Two of them lifted him by the arms and two by the feet, and he was carried out.”

    Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto wrote in his last testimony, which was later compiled into a book ‘If I Am Assassinated’, that he was confined in a “in this narrow, dark, sinking death cell for 22 or 23 hours every day.”

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has been imprisoned for over a year in numerous cases ranging from allegations of corruption and violence against state institutions.

    Achakzai alleged that the PTI workers have faced state repression while protesting for their leader’s release, while emphasising that they won’t let history repeat itself.

    The PkMAP chief demanded that Khan and his party workers should be released from jail, warning that failure to do so could push the country towards civil unrest.

  • KP govt prohibits officials from participating in Pashtoon Qaumi Jirga

    KP govt prohibits officials from participating in Pashtoon Qaumi Jirga

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Tuesday prohibited its officials and employees from participating in the three-day Pahstoon Qaumi Jirga hosted by the Pahtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) on October 11.

    On Sunday, citing security threats and national peace, the federal government declared the PTM a “proscribed organisation” and imposed a ban on it under section 11B of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATC).

    Chief Secretary KP Today issued a notification which noted: “Employees of all government departments/attached departments/police/autonomous and semi-autonomous public sector institutions and their employees are informed, and stand informed, that participation, overt or covert, physically, financially or otherwise in any programme or activity of a proscribed organisation is unlawful and shall be acted against under the law.”

    The notification further added, “General public, including all segments of society are informed, and stand informed, that participation, overt or covert, physically, financially or otherwise in any programme or activity of a proscribed organisation is unlawful and will make them liable to lawful action.”

    Meanwhile, Khyber Deputy Commissioner (DC) Captain (retd) Sanaullah Khan issued an order enforcing Section 144 in the district for a period of 30 days, effective from October 9 to November 7.

  • PTI protest causes 240 million in damages

    PTI protest causes 240 million in damages

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) recent protests in the federal capital devastated 240 million rupees of private and public property.

    The Islamabad Inspector General’s office submitted a report to the Islamabad chief commissioner, which claimed that the federal capital’s 441 safe city cameras worth 140 million rupees were damaged, Geo News reported.

    One policeman was martyred, and 31 were injured, the report maintained.

    Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur had led the protest that was staged in Islamabad in a disorganised manner.

    Ali Amin Gandapur did not show up at D-Chowk. He instead went to KP House Islamabad and then disappeared . Surprisingly, he reappeared in the provincial assembly after one day.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday, while condemning the PTI’s recent protests, stated, “Such incidents are a replica of 2014-15 incidents when a sit-in was staged for months and was not called off despite the announcement of the Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan without bothering about its impact on the country’s image and national economy.”

    Addressing the federal cabinet, he further claimed, “We will not allow it to be repeated. We will not tolerate it at any rate, at any cost. This is my promise. I will not let it happen.”