QUETTA: In the parallel arbitration lodged by the Tethyan Copper Company with the International Chamber of Commerce International Court of Arbitration (ICC ICA), the tribunal has denied TCC any relief under its interim measures application and supported the arguments of the government of Balochistan, said an official press release on Wednesday.

It said that the case before the ICC ICA was lodged in late 2011 and over the course of the year the government of Balochistan had vehemently contested the same. In an obvious attempt to put pressure on the government not only did the TCC make two requests for arbitration one before the ICC ICA against Balochistan and another before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes against Pakistan but had also made two similar requests for interim relief.

Instead of capitulating to the pressure, the government of Balochistan and the federal government contested the arbitrations and the interim relief applications and have now won the interim relief application in the ICC ICA.

It further said that through the interim measures application TCC wanted Balochistan to stop its plans for working on the H4 deposit in Reko Diq in the interest of Balochistan and Pakistan, claiming that Balochistan would damage the area and that TCC would suffer irreparable harm.

The legal team of Balochistan was successful in proving to the tribunal that TCC would not suffer any irreparable harm if Balochistan were allowed to continue with its plans. In fact, it has now been established that Balochistan is working on the site for the benefit of the Baloch people and Pakistan in general.

It is also established that Balochistan would suffer more loss than TCC if it were ordered to stop its plans.