Bugti says Reko Diq work will begin by 2029
Balochistan's chief minister told a minerals investment forum that a new security division and a Frontier Corps wing are being raised for the mineral corridor.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said work on the Reko Diq copper and gold project will begin by 2029 and that the province has set up a new security division for its mineral corridor, speaking on the opening day of the two-day Minerals Investment Forum 2026.
Bugti said Balochistan offers wide investment opportunities in minerals, oil and gas, Reko Diq among them. His government would give investors security and all the facilities they need, he said, and a new Frontier Corps wing is being raised for the mineral corridor, Express News reported. He said the province was ready for investment.
He said there would be no red tape in Balochistan and that investors would be given a one-window operation.
The chief minister said the Sonari field holds oil and gas reserves larger than those at Sui.
UrduPoint reported that Bugti told the forum his government was committed to providing a safe environment for investors in order to promote investment in the province.
A second UrduPoint report quoted the Secretary Petroleum as saying that Pakistan's abundant reserves of copper, gold, chromite, coal, precious stones and other key minerals offer unmatched opportunities for investment.
Express News also quoted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi telling investors to put money into mineral exploration in his province, and saying he wants mining promoted there. Kundi said providing security to investors was the government's biggest priority and that a one-window operation would be given. He said he welcomed every investor coming to Pakistan and that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the second-largest gas-producing province.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, quoted in the same report, said developing the minerals sector is a priority of his government.
How the reports differ
Express News carried the specific claims from the chief minister's speech: the new security division, the Frontier Corps wing, the 2029 start at Reko Diq and the comparison of Sonari's reserves with Sui's. It also quoted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, neither of whom appears in the UrduPoint reports. UrduPoint's report on the chief minister led on his commitment to a safe environment for investors rather than on the project timeline, and a second UrduPoint report led instead on the Secretary Petroleum's remarks about the country's mineral reserves.
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