Baloch CM bewildered why Muslim Lakhani name missing in Reko Dik case
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| Dr T. Chand, a former minister in Balochistan says it was a great pleasure to host the Chief Minister of Balochistan Mr. Qudoos Bizenjo at his residence here in Miami, FL. "We discussed several topics of mutual interest.," Dr Chand said. |
Balochistan chief minister has expressed bewilderment over why a US-based business tycoon name has not surfaced in the Barrick Gold Corporation case against Balochistan with the prominence it deserved in the case pending against Balochistan.
"That was was the first serious hit received by the Reko Dik gold and copper project," Mir Qudoos Bizenjo told this correspondent on phone from Miami, where he had come to appear on behalf of his government.
The businessman the chief minister was referring to is Muslim Lakhani, who now lives at the Ritz Carlton in Washington DC and is Chairman and CEO of ML Resources LLC, ML Private Investments LLC. In 2001, he helped re-activate one of the world’s largest dormant copper fields due to the very low price of copper in the remote province of Baluchistan, Pakistan, his achievements lists reads on, without even mentioning Reko Dik. According to Barrick Gold, the Reko Diq project was expected to require an initial capital investment of more than $3 billion. It is one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits, with a potential mine life of more than 50 years.
Last year exactly to this date, Barrick Gold Corporation announced that an arbitration tribunal of the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”) issued a decision on the arbitration claims that Tethyan Copper Company Pty Limited (“TCC”), a joint venture between Antofagasta plc and Barrick, filed against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in relation to the unlawful denial of a mining lease for the Reko Diq project in 2011.
In 2009, Lakhani had explained to this correspondent that he had followed the Pacman Theory and had invested $10 million in the project. But the questions remained as he was able to get the project transferred to his name without any objections due to his close ties with the Musharraf regime, who is facing the heat of law. Musharraf’s handpicked premier Shaukat Aziz is a regular visitor to Lakhani’s Ritz apartment at West End Washington DC.
“Lakhani’s name was in the earlier litigation,” said Bizenjo, who faces criticism that because of his close ties with the men in uniform he got posted as chief executive of Pakistan’s largest province despite getting only 554 votes in a province with nearly 12 million population. Bizenjo said some progress has been made as the parties have resumed negotiations through their lawyers, while in the past Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada had taken a tough stand.
Lakhani, who had studied at St Patricks College with this correspondent’s brother and cousin, had sent a voluminous legal notice the size of an encyclopedia when this scribe first highlighted his role in the great scam at Reko Dik. However, he backtracked when assured it will be a pleasure for a freedom defender to fight the case in a US court.
After making a windfall profit at Reko Dik, Lakhani moved to the US. In the 2008 elections he gave nearly 90,000 to the Hillary campaign. He gives big to the rightwing, anti-gay Salvation Army.
Earlier on Tuesday, Dr T. Chand of the Balochistan National Party hosted a lunch for Mr Bizenjo and his best bud Allaudin Marri. Dr Chand told this correspondent that he raised the issue of victims of enforced disappearances with the chief minister.
"That was was the first serious hit received by the Reko Dik gold and copper project," Mir Qudoos Bizenjo told this correspondent on phone from Miami, where he had come to appear on behalf of his government.
The businessman the chief minister was referring to is Muslim Lakhani, who now lives at the Ritz Carlton in Washington DC and is Chairman and CEO of ML Resources LLC, ML Private Investments LLC. In 2001, he helped re-activate one of the world’s largest dormant copper fields due to the very low price of copper in the remote province of Baluchistan, Pakistan, his achievements lists reads on, without even mentioning Reko Dik. According to Barrick Gold, the Reko Diq project was expected to require an initial capital investment of more than $3 billion. It is one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits, with a potential mine life of more than 50 years.
Last year exactly to this date, Barrick Gold Corporation announced that an arbitration tribunal of the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”) issued a decision on the arbitration claims that Tethyan Copper Company Pty Limited (“TCC”), a joint venture between Antofagasta plc and Barrick, filed against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in relation to the unlawful denial of a mining lease for the Reko Diq project in 2011.
In 2009, Lakhani had explained to this correspondent that he had followed the Pacman Theory and had invested $10 million in the project. But the questions remained as he was able to get the project transferred to his name without any objections due to his close ties with the Musharraf regime, who is facing the heat of law. Musharraf’s handpicked premier Shaukat Aziz is a regular visitor to Lakhani’s Ritz apartment at West End Washington DC.
“Lakhani’s name was in the earlier litigation,” said Bizenjo, who faces criticism that because of his close ties with the men in uniform he got posted as chief executive of Pakistan’s largest province despite getting only 554 votes in a province with nearly 12 million population. Bizenjo said some progress has been made as the parties have resumed negotiations through their lawyers, while in the past Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada had taken a tough stand.
Lakhani, who had studied at St Patricks College with this correspondent’s brother and cousin, had sent a voluminous legal notice the size of an encyclopedia when this scribe first highlighted his role in the great scam at Reko Dik. However, he backtracked when assured it will be a pleasure for a freedom defender to fight the case in a US court.
After making a windfall profit at Reko Dik, Lakhani moved to the US. In the 2008 elections he gave nearly 90,000 to the Hillary campaign. He gives big to the rightwing, anti-gay Salvation Army.
Earlier on Tuesday, Dr T. Chand of the Balochistan National Party hosted a lunch for Mr Bizenjo and his best bud Allaudin Marri. Dr Chand told this correspondent that he raised the issue of victims of enforced disappearances with the chief minister.
I support my Baloch brothers in their fight for freedom.
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