DC Philanthropist Likely to Face Media Heat in Gold Mine Case

A Pakistani man who gives around $125,000 to feed the homeless in Washington DC each year and got the Salvation Army's Compassionate Citizen award in 2010 is likely to face media scrutiny in international litigation on gold mining in Balochistan in the U.S. capital.

Tethyan Copper Company, a joint venture of Barrick Gold of Canada and Antofagasta of Chile announced Tuesday that it will launch international arbitration in Paris and Washington against Balochistan government for refusing to give copper and gold mining license to it.

The Islamabad-based company was a brainchild of Muslim Lakhani, who contributed at least 80,000 dollars in 2008 to President Barack Obama's election campaign.

Lakhani, who is a contributor to the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars and is on the board of the Atlantic Council , takes credit for bringing in the international mining giants to Balochistan.

Calls made to Lakhani office Wednesday to get his views were not returned by the time of filing of this report.

Lakhani appears to have made a windfall profit on his investment at Reko Diq that started during the military regime of regime of Gen. Pervez Musharraf. According to Reuters , Tethyan paid $200 million for the exploration rights that were actually in Lakhani's hands.

Samai Ali Shah, spokeswoman for Tethyan Copper Company, explained the background to this correspondent in an email in August 2009. She said, "In 1993 BHP Billiton negotiated a joint venture with the Province of Balochistan to explore the Chagai Hills region. From 1994 to 1997 BHP Billiton discovered a major copper deposit at Reko Diq. In year 2000, Tethyan Copper Company was established by Mincor Resources NL after taking over the project from BHP Billiton. In 2006, Antofagasta Minerals plc and Barrick Gold Corporation formed a JV and acquired 100% of Tethyan Copper Company Pty. Limited, an Australian company. Tethyan Australia subsequently transferred all mining rights to its Pakistani subsidiary, Tethyan Copper Company Pakistan."

On Wednesday, Shah confirmed Tethyan Copper Company will take the case to Washington and Paris but said that is the maximum she was going to share. "No comments," she tersely while responding to questions in an email but sent a company's prepared press release.

Lakhani left Pakistan after litigation on the project ensued.

Lakhani was a close friend of former premier Shaukat Aziz, who was handpicked by Pakistan military dictator and coup leader General Pervez Musharraf. He told this scribe some time ago that former premier Aziz does drop by his DC home for tea.

The web site of Lakhani's DC-based company, MLResources , explains "Lakhani believes everything in life must have an exit strategy" and "often says it was because good fortune and luck were on his side."

Malik Baloch, presiding council member of the American Friends of Balochistan, described Lakhani as a point man of Pakistani army generals. "He is using the monies he made at Reko Diq to get into the U.S. mainstream. He should stop be-fooling the U.S. government and public as a philanthropist ."

Baloch added, "I urge Mr. Lakhani to show decency and return the monies back to Barrick and Antofagasta and end this sad chapter of Balochistan."

Baloch also requested the Salvation Army and the Obama campaign not accept donations from Lakhani until such time the litigation in the Reko Diq case is settled.

Lakhani got hold of the Reko Diq project during the Gen. Pervez Musharraf military regime that had launched a massive and brutal military crackdown in Balochistan.

Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, 79, a former chief minister and governor of France-sized Balochistan and a sitting member of provincial assembly, Mir Balach Marri, were among hundreds killed in the military offensive against the Baloch who were protesting the loot and plunder of their homeland.

Both Musharraf and Aziz are wanted in the Nawab Bugti murder case and Pakistani news reports suggested Islamabad could seek the help of Interpol to get the two alleged fugitives from justice arrested.

The military operation that started during the Musharraf era continues to this day in towns across Balochistan in the form of a kill-and-dump policy that has left 250 youths, students, intellectuals, poets, writers, journalists and lawyers, among others, killed.