By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: In the Reko Diq reference sent by the President of Pakistan, the Supreme Court has said that the new Reko Diq agreement is not against the law and is legal.
The Supreme Court has declared that the Reko Diq agreement is legal. It should be remembered that the President had applied for an opinion on the Reko Diq reference on October 15, and the Supreme Court held 17 hearings on the Reko Diq presidential reference.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial delivered a brief opinion on the 13-page Reko Diq reference on Friday. The SC mentioned that the President of the State had asked 2 questions in the Reko Diq reference. The court stated that the Constitution of Pakistan does not allow for the agreement of national assets, the provinces can amend and change the laws related to minerals.
Supreme Court Statement
The Supreme Court said that the Reko Diq Agreement is not against the law, and there is nothing illegal in it. It said that the Reko Diq agreement is not against the decision of the Supreme Court in 2013. The agreement is also in conformity with the environmental laws as the federal and provincial governments made the agreement after taking opinion of experts.
It should be mentioned here that the President of the country had applied for an opinion on the Reko Diq reference on October 15 this year, and the SC held 17 hearings on the presidential reference.
