ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's government is facing a quandary in a commercial dispute involving a delayed lease to a foreign mining consortium, with compensation damages plus interest totaling up to $7.9 billion -- the most in the history of the country's cross-border commercial disputes. While Islamabad is reportedly entering into a deal with the consortium, opposing groups have started agitating against it.
The stakes in the disagreement are high for Pakistan. The South Asian country is grappling with a rising debt burden and is part of a growing regional power struggle as China seeks to expand its influence.
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