News
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Balochistan rejects out-of-court settlement in Reko Diq case* Govt’s representative requests court to dispose of case on merit
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) was informed on Wednesday that the government of Balochistan was not ready to resolve the Reko Diq coal mining case outside the court.
A three-member bench of the apex court was hearing the petitions regarding awarding of a mining project to Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) in Reko Diq area. Balochistan Advocate General (AG), Amanullah Kinrani, pleaded before the court to dispose of the matter on merit.
The CJ remarked that Baloch people and the government had a basic right over the resources which lay preserved in Reko Diq. “It will be better if the Balochistan government takes the final decision on the project,” he said.
Raza Kazim, representing Maulana Abdul Haq and others, said his clients had filed the case for the interest of people of Balochistan and therefore the court should go into depth of the case. “My clients don’t see negotiations out of the court what the TCC talks about negotiating with the provincial government,”
Fakhruddin G Ibrahim, counsel for TCC, suggested that the matter might be resolved outside the court. Balochistan AG stated that the contract was awarded without the permission of the Balochistan chief minister.
Khalid Anwar, another counsel for Tethyan Company, argued both the provincial and federal governments were consulted before the awarding of the contract.
TCC’s counsel pleaded that if the contract was cancelled, Pakistan would be stigmatized and foreign companies operating in Balochistan would stay away from any venture in the future. The court adjourned the hearing till Thursday (today).
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk