http://tribune.com.pk/story/103594/t...reko-diq-deal/

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http://tribune.com.pk/story/105011/g...-seriously-cj/


ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Monday admonished the government for not taking the Reko Diq case seriously.
The chief justice expressed these sentiments during today’s (Monday) hearing of the Reko Diq case in the Supreme Court (SC). The chief justice was visibly annoyed at the federation, the Balochistan government as well as the Petroleum Ministry for failing to submit their reply in the case.

He observed that the Reko Diq case is an important one but that the government is not taking it seriously.

The Deputy Attorney General informed the court that the government had not received any notice from the court for the submission of the federation’s reply.

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing till January 25. It also ordered the petitioners to submit their reply till January 19.
The Supreme Court had last week sought replies from all respondents in the Reko Diq case and decided to conduct a daily hearing starting from February 11.

Pakistan is reportedly likely to incur huge losses if the government signs the 30-year agreement with the company in February. The DG Minerals, ministry of petroleum, has already signed the contract in acceptance of the company’s terms and conditions. Members of the federal and provincial governments have yet to sign the agreement.

The new agreement is to be renewed by the government on expiry of the previous contract on February 11. The project manager of TCC informed the court that his company plans to invest another $3.5 million whereas $460 million have already been invested in Reko Diq.

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http://tribune.com.pk/story/104883/a...-foreign-help/

KARACHI: Most of the impassioned debate on Reko Diq, including the ongoing hearings in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, has focused on the copper and gold deposits in the region.
But what has been essentially missing from the public discourse, and the reported Supreme Court hearings, is the case of associated minerals in the regions, specifically the rare earth elements (REE) that are becoming increasingly important globally due to their use in advanced defense and commercial production technology.

To dispel any knee-jerk reaction, REEs are not physically rare. A US Geological Survey publication calls REEs “a historical misnomer.” While the elements are abundant in the earth’s crust, they “have very little tendency to become concentrated in exploitable ore deposits. Therefore, most of the world’s supply of REE comes from only a handful of sources.” At present, China mines and refines 97 per cent of the global REE production, even though it has only 36 per cent of the world’s proven reserves.
Do we have exploitable concentrations of REEs in Reko Diq? The feasibility studies by the exploratory company Tethyan Copper Company Pakistan (Pvt) Limited (TCC) say it’s negligible. I wouldn’t discredit it outright but the inquisitive in me would like some more information.
How is negligible quantified by the TCC? Is it so little that we should stop bothering about them entirely? If not, have they been valued? What estimates has the company used for their valuation, like they have done for copper and gold? Will they also be exported unrefined or is there any effort to transfer refining technologies to Pakistan over the course of the contract?
Of course, the answers to these questions have to be verified by independent, secondary or multiple consultants, preferably from competitor mining companies. That would cost time and money so is it really worth the trouble?
I’d conjecture yes, because the REEs are becoming increasingly important for the production of green technologies. Not only is global demand for them expected to rise exponentially as the world switches to more sustainable energy production, if we have any aspiration of being a country that is able to power and provide for its own 180 million plus population sustainably, we will need REEs in the near future.

From generators for wind turbines to batteries for hybrid vehicles, REEs will be instrumental in the post-petrochemical world. Meanwhile, demand for rare-earth metals is likely to increase between 10 and 20 per cent each year, says a New York Times article from 2009, adding that China’s progressive curbs on their exports is pushing Western suppliers to look for alternative sources for REEs. It might therefore be worth making an investment in developing the capacity to mine and refine them ourselves.
Does this have any bearing on the Reko Diq case? It must, because if the presence of REEs is verified by an independent consultant, we need to take them into consideration when signing the mining contract, whichever firm it may be with. They cannot be dismissed as impurities in unrefined gold and copper.

And this brings us to the larger issue of why it is important to not simply export unrefined copper and gold for the next 56 years as proposed by the TCC. We need to build up the capacity to refine our own minerals, be it copper, gold or REEs. It will take time, no doubt, but technology is a great equaliser and leap-frogging is the promise that developed world has made to developing countries to make up for historical injustice.

Some may dismiss the entire REE argument as outlandish and populist. But it gives me enough reason to argue that transfer of refining technologies must be a component of the mining contract, especially if it is signed for a period as long as 60 years. Pakistan may be backward and in dire need of foreign expertise crutches at present, but that’s no reason to sign ourselves into being so in the future.

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ASIF AMIN

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ASIF AMIN

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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has sought the principle agreement for the exploration of Reko Diq reserves and issued notices over the plea of 26 Senators to become party in the case.

The SC Tuesday fixed January 26 as hearing date of a plea filed by 26 Senators, majority among them belonging to JUI-F for becoming a party in the ongoing proceedings over award of mining contract of Reko Diq copper and gold mines in Balochistan to Tethyan Copper Company (TCC).

The plea was filed on behalf of senators Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Dr. Mohammad Ismail Buladi, Maulana Gul Naseeb, Abdul Ghafoor Qureshi, Eng. Malik Rashid Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Ghufran Khan, Muhammad Talha Mahmood, Abdul Rashid, Ghulam Ali, Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani, Mrs. Semeen Siddique, M. Khalid M. Sumroo, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, Salim Saifullah Khan, Maulana Muhammad Salah Shah, Hafiz Rasheed Ahmed, Naeem Hussain Chattha, Tariq Azeem Khan, Sabeena Rauf, Shahid Hussain Bugti, Professor Sajid Mir, Neelofer Bakhtiar, Sardar Jamal Khan Laghari, Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, Syed Javaid Ali Shah & Engr. Muhammad Hamayun Khan Mandokhel.

Raza Kazim, counsel for Maulana Abdul Haq a petitioner contended that the government of Balochistan in its reply have not provided the request the exploration company filed. As per law the ownership of the reserves could not be changed, he said.

The court also ordered Advocate General Balochistan to bring the record of the license awarded to TCC and summoned Balochistan's former and current chief secretaries along with record of the licenses issued to the company.

SC seeks Reko Diq agreement - GEO.tv

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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday issued a stay order in Reko Diq case and directed the Balochistan government to not give the contract till verdict is issued.

Earlier, a petition the SC was informed about the planes landing on the airport in the region and concerns were conveyed regarding the provincial government’s lack of knowledge with regards to the equipment being flown in.
Updated from print edition (below)
Reko Diq case: Tethyan Copper has private airport, SC told
The Tethyan Copper Company has constructed a private airport on an area spreading over seven kilometres in Balochistan, the Supreme Court was informed on Wednesday.

The Government of Balochistan is not aware of the planes landing at the airport, which is extremely dangerous for the country’s security, petitioner in the Reko Diq case, Tariq Asad argued. It is the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority to look into the matter, the chief justice observed.
Meanwhile hearing a case on the chairman NAB’s appointment, Justice Javed Iqbal said: “Does the president lose the prerogative to appoint Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the absence of a consensus?”
Counsel for the federation Abdul Hafiz Pirzada argued that the president appointed Chairman NAB on the PM’s advice.

The PM’s statement to the press and the summary presented by the Attorney-General of Pakistan contradict each other, the court observed.
The Supreme Court had decided that press statements constitute sufficient evidence, provided they are not contradicted, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed.

It is mandatory for the PM to participate in the consultation process, he cannot send his advice through a subordinate, Justice Asif Khosa added.
According to section six of the NAB Ordinance, the opposition leader has to be consulted for the appointment of Chairman NAB. He was ignored in violation of article 48 of the Constitution. The court adjourned the hearings till today (Thursday).

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2011.

Reko Diq case: SC issues stay order – The Express Tribune

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