ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Balochistan government to provide details of agreements it made with foreign companies for exploration of gold and copper mines in Reko Diq area in Balochistan.
A four-member bench – comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Muhammad Sair Ali, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday – was hearing a case against leasing of Reko Diq gold and copper mines in Balochistan worth more than $260 billion to foreign exploration and mining companies by the federal government in violation of the law.
Raza Kazim, lawyer for one of the petitioners, told the court that law did not permit a joint venture without acquiring a prospective licence for exploration of gold and copper mines. He said the Balochistan government entered into an agreement under a joint venture for the Reko Diq project in 1993 and the project was executed on January 10, 1994, adding that rules did not allow for such an agreement.
Supreme Court seeks details of Reko Diq deals with foreign firms
