ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, the federal cabinet approved the signing of the final agreement for the Reko Diq project, but the decision has caused a rift between the federal government and its allies. According to details, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a Cabinet meeting where the members received a briefing on the Reko Diq project.
The participants were told that the presidential reference sought a legal opinion on Reko Diq’s final agreement, and Supreme Court of Pakistan has given its opinion on the Foreign Investment (Protection & Promotion Bill).
However, the two prime allies of the federal government, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Balochistan National Party-Mengel (BNP-M) walked out of the meeting in an act of protest. The allies complained that they were not taken into confidence regarding the Reko Diq agreement and it was against the rights of Balochistan citizens.
Sources said that federal ministers tried their best to clear the concerns of the disgruntled members. The coalition parties maintained the stance that they would attend the cabinet meeting only after certain amendments were added.
The government members have said that the committee would address the concerns of allies. Meanwhile, the federal government approved the funding plan for the Reko Diq project and formed a five-member cabinet committee to handle the legal obstacles in the project.
