Reko Diq deal: Supreme Court redirects Balochistan government to present record in 24 hours

The Supreme Court on Tuesday redirected Balochistan government to present within 24 hours complete record of Reko Diq deal, along with notifications pertaining to award of contract as well as concessions and relaxations given to Tethyan Copper Company (TCC).
A four-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry comprising Justice Muhammad Sair Ali, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday was hearing a number of petitions against award of contract. The court expressed dissatisfaction over the record presented by Balochistan government today (Tuesday) and asked Advocate General Balochistan Salahuddin Mengal to do the needful by next hearing.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry showed indignation on the co-ordination among different government institutions as even after one month the authorities were unable to present the complete documents of Reko Diq deal. He also observed that relaxation in rules without approval of the mining committee had no legal status. Sahabzada Ahmed Raza Khan Kasuri, counsel for Sanjrani Tribe informed the court that the mining committee was bypassed in making the deal with BHP, giving extraordinary concessions, flouting the rules in exploration licence.
He prayed the court to pass a stay order so that mining could be stopped in areas owned by his client till final decision of the case. The Chief Justice remarked that important stones such as onyx, marble and other valuable minerals were extracted from that area which was not in the purview of the license. He said in case of initiating large-scale mining project, complete infrastructure should have been developed in the area.
Mushtaq Ahmed, Secretary Mines and Mineral Development Department told the court that the letter written by Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) was not received by the mining committee. He said that they did not have that document on record. The court directed the Secretary Industries Balochistan to thoroughly examine the record before submitting it to the court, as any statement given in haste can damage the career of an official and change the direction of the case. The court adjourned the hearing till Wednesday.