MPAs ask govt to protect mineral reserves

LAHORE: The opposition in Punjab Assembly on Friday demanded the PML-N government to ensure that the country’s mineral reserves were not hijacked as in the case of Reko Diq gold and copper project in Balochistan.
Expressing their concerns, the opposition MPAs said multinational companies in the past had earn kickbacks from mineral exploration and sent the lucrative money abroad due to the oversight of past governments.
These remarks were made by JI MPA Dr Syed Waseem Akhtar and PPP MPA Sardar Shahabuddin in response to Punjab Minister for Mines and Minerals Sher Ali Khan. The minister had briefed the House on the groundbreaking exploration of copper and iron ore deposits in Chiniot under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
The Punjab Assembly on Friday reassembled with 16 MPAs present and only one person on the opposition bench. For the sixth consecutive time this week, quorum was identified two times on Friday and the session was later adjourned till Monday (3pm) due to the failure to reach the required number needed for a sitting.