ISLAMABAD: A three-member Supreme Court bench on Thursday issued notices to the federation and other respondents in a petition seeking court’s direction to the federal government not to lease out gold and copper mines in Balochistan to foreign companies in an unlawful manner.
The bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing a petition filed by Tariq Asad against the lease of gold and copper mines, including the world’s biggest gold mine worth over $260 billion in Reko Diq in Balochistan, to foreign companies by the federal government.
Asad contended before the court that Reko Diq gold mine had huge reserves of uranium. Quoting a news report, he said some 20 top corporate bosses and lobbyists of two of the world’s largest gold mining groups had been meeting President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, the State Bank of Pakistan governor and others throughout last week, pressing them to quickly hand over one of the world’s biggest gold and copper treasures found in Balochistan at Reko Diq to their companies.
He requested the court to summon the entire record of the deal, if any, with respect to the sale of gold and copper mines to foreign companies as well as the lease deed, from the respondents. The petitioner pleaded the court to direct respondents to be refrained from issuing the licence of mining arbitrarily, in an unlawful manner and without consultation of the Balochistan government.
He requested the court to direct the respondents to explain why the mining process could not have ever been carried out by the Petroleum and Natural Resources Ministry and the Mining Department themselves, and why such efforts had never been made so far.
After hearing preliminary arguments, the court directed all respondents to file their comprehensive reply on the petition by November 24. Reko Diq is a small town in Chagai district of Balochistan, and has proven gold and copper reserves of $260 billion.
