Pakistan

Mining contracts: SC declines to stay Reko Diq deal

SC declines to grant stay order in awarding the Reko Diq mining contract.

Express November 25, 2010

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday declined to grant a stay order in awarding the Reko Diq mining contract.

A full bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, was hearing the case on a main petition filed by Advocate Tariq Asad which has been clubbed with identical petitions. Hearing was adjourned till December 15.

The Balochistan advocate-general and deputy attorney-general have informed the court that there is no such contract. They were responding to an objection by Barrister Zafarullah Khan who is representing the petitioner in a similar petition in the SC’s Lahore Registry.

Thus, the court remarked, a stay order could not be granted because the federation’s representatives had denied it. Therefore, the CJP remarked, it would be premature to grant a stay.

In the previous hearing, the bench had issued notices upon a constitutional petition filed by Asad in which he had claimed that contracts of gold and copper mines at Reko Diq in Balochistan were awarded to foreign companies at throwaway prices. He had requested the court to direct the federation not to sell the mineral deposits.

In the petition, he questioned the selling of gold mines worth $260 billion to foreign companies at a very low price.

He requested the court to direct the respondents to provide a complete record of the deal or if there was an execution agreement with respect to the sale or lease of gold and copper mines to the TCC or any other foreign company.

Asad also sought direction that respondents refrain from issuing the license of mining arbitrarily or unlawfully and without the consultation of the parliament and the Balochistan government.

He further requested that respondents be asked to explain why the mining process could not have ever been carried out by the ministry of petroleum and natural resources and the mining department.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (1)

Zahid Iqbal | 13 years ago | Reply I sincerely wish, for the sake of the people of Pakistan in general and the sake of poeple of Balochistan in particular, that these foreigners and their local puppets are thrown out. They are here to abuse our national wealth whuch is a part of a much bigger plan. How can we truct these people to look after the well being of the communities when they cannot wven take care of their own employees. What they do and what they say are totally apart. They absolutely cannot be trusted. I plead to the higher authorities of Pakistan to award the contract to anyone but them, if we cannot do it ourselves. I do believe that we can do it ourselves as long as we are sincere to out mother land.

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