CJP asks govt to make formal authority on Reko Diq project
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2025-02-24 05:10:42
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Atta Bandial on Thursday advised the government to make a formal authority and policy on the Reko Diq project. A five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising of Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail resumed the hearing on a presidential reference on the Reko Diq project. During the course of proceedings, the chief justice remarked that the previous agreement of Reko Diq project was voided due to the relaxation of rules for certain companies. He said that the relaxation of rules and exemptions given in Reko Diq project could be made part of the policy. Once the policy was made, it would be easier for the court to decide, he added. He said that a uniform country policy would bring transparency to all international investors. He said that the government counsel could not yet satisfy the court as to why the government was introducing new legislation for a particular company. It was being repeatedly threatened by saying that if the Reko Diq project was not decided by December 15, 2022 there would be a burden of 10 billion dollars, he added. The chief justice said that the government of Balochistan was not a very strong authority. It remained to be seen who would oversee the Reko Diq agreement and the entire project thereafter, he added. He said that a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) style authority should be formed for monitoring the Reko Diq project. The court did not want to let the Reko Diq project crash again, he added. Justice Bandial said that the country was still burdened by $4.5 billion in the Reko Diq agreement. The government could relax the rules for the ease of a deal but could not compromise its standards, he added. He said that the rights of the population in the adjacent areas of Reko Diq should not be affected.
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