Reko Diq Management Discriminates Against Locals: Youth Press Conference

QUETTA: Unemployed youths from Chaghai, including Agha Waseem Shah, Niamat Baloch, Comrade Qadir Baloch, Arsalan Hameed, Tariq Shah, Kaleemullah Abdul Wahab, Shafqat Naz, Asadullah Hosni, Arif Baloch, Muawiya Baloch, Tahir Baloch, Abdul Malik, Abdullah, and Zia-ul-Rahman, held a press conference at the Dalbandin Press Club. They claimed that Chagai, a gold-producing region with major projects like Saindak and Reko Diq, is being exploited, and merit is being violated in Reko Diq.

The youths asserted that, despite the commencement of regular work and the ongoing placement process at Reko Diq, the project management has neglected local youth with relevant education and degrees, favouring non-local individuals instead. This, they argued, contradicts the company’s initial announcements.

They highlighted the severe poverty and unemployment in Balochistan, including Chagai, where many people have been driven to suicide due to lack of employment. With Saindak and Reko Diq as the only sources of livelihood, the educated youth of Chagai had hoped the Reko Diq Mega Project would provide employment opportunities. However, despite submitting numerous applications, qualified local candidates are being overlooked in favour of non-locals, who are appointed without any tests or interviews. This practice, they complain, robs educated local youth of their rights.

They emphasized that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandates prioritizing local people in all respects. According to Pakistan’s Citizenship Act (Son of Soil), locals should be given priority in employment and development in any resource-extracting area. The Reko Diq management, however, is violating these laws.

One example, they said, was the recent vacancies for pharmacists at Indus Hospital in Nokundi, built by the project. Despite qualified local candidates applying, none were shortlisted, tested, or interviewed. Instead, non-locals were offered positions over the phone based on recommendations.

The local youth continue to be neglected in various fields, with non-locals being favoured, which they consider a betrayal. The Youth Conference condemned the “illegal recruitment of pharmacists and other posts at Indus Hospital” and demanded that elected representatives, concerned officers, and project management take action.

They called for the cancellation of non-local appointments and prioritization of local candidates, warning of strong resistance to unjust actions on all fronts.