Pakistan

Reko Diq case: ‘Why were rules bypassed in issuing licence?’

SC asks Balochistan govt to explain lax in implementation of rules in contract award.

Express March 08, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Monday once again directed the Balochistan government to assign reasons for relaxing mining rules to award the contract for the Reko Diq mines to a foreign company.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked during the course of hearing that foreign investment is to be encouraged without compromising the law of the land. The government of Balochistan circumvented rules and regulations when awarding the contract to BHP-Billiton for mining.

Khalid Anwar, counsel for the Tethyan Copper Company, submitted that BHP-Billiton followed the rules and regulations in place at the time and the licence was issued in consonance with the law.

“Such agreements were discouraged by the 1970 mining rules,” the chief justice observed. “BHP-Billiton certainly benefitted from the transaction when they sold their licence to TCC and purchased shares. The court has to view the case in accordance with the law and the Constitution.”

The court adjourned the hearing till Tuesday (today) and directed the Advocate General Balochistan to explain why the rules were circumvented and to provide a copy of the memorandum signed between BHP-Billiton and the Balochistan Development Authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (2)

Raza | 13 years ago | Reply even a moron can understand why the rules were relaxed . In one word " Corruption". The were relaxed so that all those in chain, from lowest bureaucrat to the concerned "elected public Representatives" could get commissions and make money. This is a plain truth. A common man trying to get a routine driving licence has to endure so many difficulties that eventually he pays someone in chain to get what was his right by law. How can we believe that a foreign company was allowed mining rights in a resource rich area, that too for Gold, by relaxing rules and with indecent haste, without greasing palms of all those in chain ? Only God can save our country from the maniac thieves ruling us and the Kleptocracy which they conveniently and shamelessly thump as democracy.

muhammad faisal | 13 years ago | Reply why doesn't the supreme court take suo moto notice of the deliberate ethnic cleansing of punjabis in balochistan??? why all the huffing & puffing only for akbar bugti but no protests,no demonstrations against the genocide of punjabis in balochistan???

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