Daily Times

The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of the presidential reference on the Reko Diq agreement till today (Thursday).

A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel heard the presidential reference filed in the case. The president on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif filed the reference last month to seek the top court’s opinion on the Reko Diq settlement agreement.

During the course of proceedings, Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman while continuing his arguments said that there were numerous fundamental flaws in the previous Reko Diq agreement which had been removed in the new agreement. He said that the government should maintain transparency as a trustee in matters of public policy. Only the company that got the prospecting licence was given the contract to mine it, he added.

The additional attorney general said that the Supreme Court had annulled the previous agreement of Reko Diq for lack of proper feasibility. A contract to mine minerals would be canceled when the company that discovered them terminated the contract, he added. Aamir Rehman said that mineral royalty was earlier 2 percent and now 5 percent. Barrick Gold Company’s previous licence had been canceled and it would now be given a new licence, he added.