Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, the counsel for BHP Billiton, on Tuesday pleaded that the company had spent a large amount of money on exploration of copper and gold at Reko Diq. Therefore, it deserves a mining licence, according to him. A three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed the hearing of the Reko Diq case with Pirzada contending that no law had been violated in the Reko Diq agreement and that concession granted to the company was legal.

The Chief Justice remarked that the court wanted to be informed of the legal aspects of the contract. It also wanted to examine whether the agreement was in conformity with national sovereignty, he added. Pirzada concluded his arguments on Tuesday and the court then directed the counsel for Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) Khalid Anwar to advance his arguments on the next date of hearing. The court adjourned the hearing till December 19 (today).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2012