QUETTA: Tribal elders of Nokundi, led by Sardar Shoukat Ejbari and Sardar Noor Bakhsh, have rejected the performance of the Community Development Committee (CDC) under the Reko Diq Mining Project and demanded its immediate dissolution and reconstitution.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Nokundi, the elders said that all tribes of the area have unanimously rejected the existing CDC management, terming it non-representative and stating it has lost the trust of local tribes and community members.

They maintained that due to the absence of genuine local representation, community welfare programmes linked to the Reko Diq project are not being implemented in their true spirit. They alleged that the current CDC is disconnected from ground realities and is using community programmes for political purposes instead of addressing public needs.

The tribal elders further pointed out that despite the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) holding a clear majority in local government and general elections across the district, its representatives were excluded from the CDC. Instead, they said, representatives of PTI and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) were included, parties which, according to them, do not enjoy public support in the area.

Demand reconstitution of committee, claim existing one is non-representative and has lost public trust

They added that the Reko Diq project is a major opportunity for development and prosperity for the people of Nokundi and Balochistan, but the presence of an unbalanced and unpopular CDC is eroding public confidence, which they said is not a positive sign for such a large-scale development project.

The tribal leaders also criticised the appointment of a CDC chairman who failed to secure election even as a union councillor, while elected public representatives, including the district chairman, were completely excluded from the committee. They said this exclusion itself reflects the committee’s lack of public mandate.

While appreciating the investment and development initiatives of the Reko Diq Mining Company, the tribal elders urged the company’s top management, particularly the chief executive officer, to take immediate notice of the issue. They demanded that the existing CDC be dissolved without delay and replaced with a new, balanced, and empowered committee comprising genuine representatives of all tribes, schools of thought, and segments of society in Nokundi to ensure transparent, fair, and welfare-oriented utilisation of Reko Diq benefits.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2026