ISLAMABAD    -    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that immense oppor­tunities existed for investment in mining, information technology, energy, communication, and infra­structure sectors in Pakistan and the government was taking mea­sures to provide all possible facili­ties to investors.

The prime minister was talking to a delegation of Barrick Reko Diq Mining Company led by its Chief Ex­ecutive Officer (CEO) Mark Bristow. 

During the meeting, Mark Bristow informed the prime minister about the progress on the mining project.

The PM said many areas of Paki­stan especially Balochistan were rich in mineral resources and the government was working on a prior­ity basis to fully utilize these natural resources. The recent agreement on the Reko Dik project would be bene­ficial for both sides, he said, adding Reko Diq project would be a game changer for Balochistan and would usher a new era of progress.

The PM said a project support team should be formed for the exe­cution of the Reko Diq project and directed that all relevant depart­ments should fulfil their respon­sibility for the implementation of the project. The prime minister was told that seventy percent people working on the project belonged to Balochistan. It was informed that the mining company had estab­lished a school in Reko Diq with the cooperation of the community de­velopment committee in the area. Besides, steps would be taken for imparting professional and higher level education to the youth of the area so that they could get jobs. It was told in the briefing, work was continuing on providing facilities of clean drinking water and health in the area and alternative energy was being used in the mining proj­ect. Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the mining company for its welfare projects to fulfil its corporate social responsibility.

He invited the company to work with the government to establish Danish Schools in Balochistan.

Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Advisor to PM Ahad Cheema, State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Ma­lik, Special Assistant to PM Jehanzeb Khan, and high-ranking officers at­tended the meeting.