The Supreme Court on Monday has announced the short verdict of the Reko Diq case terming the contract illegal.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary announced the short judgment in the Reko Diq lease case.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry read out the paragraphs 11 and 12 of the short verdict according to which the agreement between the parties was termed illegal as it did not follow the laws.The SC had reserved its judgment on December 21 as counsel of all the petitioners and respondents had completed their arguments.
A number of identical petitions were filed in the apex court against the lease of gold and copper mines in Reko Diq, Chaghi district, to the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC).Khalid Anwar, counsel for the TCC, defended the lease deal reached between the company and the Balochistan government.
The TCC also invoked the jurisdiction of the International Chambers for Commerce and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputed against the Government of Pakistan for not renewing the prospective Reko Diq minerals licence in accordance with Balochistan Mining Rules 2002.