But the hugely lucrative open-pit mine project came to a standstill in 2011 after the local government refused to renew Tethyan Copper's lease, and in 2013 Supreme Court declared it invalid. In 2019, the World Bank's arbitration tribunal committee imposed a penalty on Pakistan for unlawful denial of mining. In March, the federal and Balo­ch­istan governments reached an agreement with two firms — Antofagasta PLC and Barrick Gold Corporation — on a framework to reconstitute the Reko Diq project that allowed Antofagasta to make an exit.