PM Sharif orders upgradation of road network to link Reko Diq project with Gwadar

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday ordered upgradation of an existing road network to connect Reko Diq mining project in the country’s southwest to the deep-sea port of Gwadar.
The prime minister gave the instructions while presiding over a meeting in Lahore with regard to mines and minerals in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province. The meeting was also attended by Mark Bristow, chief executive of the Toronto-based firm Barrick Gold Corporation that has been working on the project.
Located in Pakistan’s southwestern Chagai district, Reko Diq contains one of the biggest undeveloped copper and gold deposits in the world, with the potential to produce a large amount of these precious commodities for decades.
During the meeting, PM Sharif stressed the need to benefit from the mineral wealth in Balochistan through comprehensive planning regarding communication infrastructure, including roads and a railway line.
“Upgradation of the existing road network should be done as soon as possible to connect the Reko Diq project with Gwadar,” the prime minister was quoted as saying in a statement issued from his office.
“Wherever new roads are being constructed, their completion should be expedited.”
PM Sharif also directed officials to carve out a strategy regarding feasibility of a railway network from Reko Diq to the Gwadar port.
The Reko Diq project underwent legal and financial disputes, though it is considered highly significant for Pakistan’s mining sector and the broader economy, with the potential to transform the economic landscape of Balochistan and contribute substantially to the country’s overall development.
Separately, Barrick Gold Chief Executive Bristow said the Reko Diq project was “revolutionary” and would change the fate of Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most impoverished province, by revolutionizing the local economy, the state-run APP news agency reported.
“An estimated $10 billion would be invested during next eight to nine years, which would boost the mining industry and the local economy,” Bristow was quoted as saying.
He also underscored his company’s commitment to sustainable development, job creation and community empowerment in Balochistan, according to the report.