ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday concluded its hearings into a Presidential Reference seeking its legal opinion and validation of new Reko Dig project deal under Article 186 of the Constitution.
The five-member bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, completed the proceeding after holding nearly a dozen and a half hearings. The apex court remarked that it will give its opinion next week.
The court mentioned that during proceedings, no party, including the amicus curiae or the lawyers representing the companies involved, opposed the agreement.
The CJP assured that the court will be careful on the issue of fundamental rights while giving its opinion on the reference.
Remarking that although Pakistan has been slapped a whooping fine of 9 billion in the Reko Diq case, the court observed that the federal government has abided by the constitution and the law.
The bench also expressed satisfaction that the agreement included provisions to ensure the pact meets all international standards.
Justice Ijazul Hassan remarked that despite disagreements, no stakeholder has labeled the agreement as illegal and all of them agree that it is a transparent public contract.
The reference had been filed by President Alvi after consultations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this year as Pakistan sought to revive the agreement and avoid paying the hefty fine.
