SC summons ports and shipping officials

SC serves notices to govt for awarding contract of Gwadar Port to Singapore Port Authority.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday served notices to the government for awarding a contract of the Gwadar Port to the Singapore Port Authority.

Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, the counsel for the four petitioners including Talal Akbar Bugti and Yousaf Masti Khan, submitted that the Council of Common Interests was ignored while awarding the contract, violating the Constitution. Pirzada said that the contract had exempted the foreign company from paying tax for 20 years and import tax for 40 years on importing construction material. “The government would receive only nine per cent shipping service charges according to the contract and nothing else,” Pirzada said, adding that ships that arrived at the Karachi and Bin Qasim ports were taken to Gwadar, from where items were shifted to Karachi by road at the cost of Rs2,500 per ton. Pirzada urged that the contract be cancelled.

The chief justice adjourned hearing till December 8, while issuing notices to the ministry of defence, ministry of ports and shipping, the Gwadar Port Authority and the Singapore Port Authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2010.