You are factually incorrect and are as vindictive as you are claiming the ex CJoP to be. As far as it has been mentioned no investment had been made to develop the mine. Only exploration and "preparation of a bankable Feasibility Study". That is 6.67% of the what they claim they would have invested over the years. The royalties were far lower than the next comparable mine located at Chagai (I have erroneously referred this as Reko Diq in my previous post). Moreover, the ore would have simply been shipped off. The contract was not awarded by Musharraf but by the caretaker government that took over when he stepped down.
Hon Sir,
Ex CJ Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was a megalomaniac and attention seeker who took ‘Judicial Activism’ to an unprecedented level in Pakistan’s history due to his ‘Suo Motto’ actions and his directives even on such mundane things like fixing the price at which sugar should be sold in the market!.
(
https://www.dawn.com/news/494036 )
I am not the only one who dislikes the ex CJ, many among the lawyers do as well. For example
“A number of senior lawyers have been critical of former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for passing judgments which in ensuing years have caused headaches for policymakers and concern for international investors. “Why would international investors come to invest Pakistan when your local courts are passing judgment without considering the prevailing circumstances,” said a senior lawyer”
Full article:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1896993/1-pakistan-makes-final-push-reko-diq-settlement/
I am therefore surprised at your implied defence of the ex-CJ and calling me ‘Vindictive’. Did I hit a raw nerve?
I never met Justice Chaudhry personally, my views about him and his policies are based entirely upon what I have read and heard in the media. I would, therefore, give reference to the media wherever possible. For example according to an article in the Guardian:
“Pakistan's chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry suffers public backlash"
Critics speak out against outgoing influential judge, who is accused of meddling in politics for personal aggrandizement”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/28/pakistan-judges-backlash-ftikhar-haudhry
My post only described my general feeling about him without going into the details. Admittedly, I do not like the Ex CJ as I would anybody who in my opinion has done great harm to Pakistan. You have also brought up the issue of factual accuracy.
According to the best of my info, the original contract was signed in July 1993 between BHP Billiton & Baluchistan Gov’t. BHP later sold her interests to the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) who had been awarded a license for the “exploration” in the Reko Dig Area in 2006.
An article was published in 'Pakistan Today' in 2010.
The Reko Diq scandal
BY IKRAM SEHGAL, (LAST UPDATED NOVEMBER 23, 2010)
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2010/11/23/the-reko-diq-scandal/
TCC’s contract was eventually declared null & void in 2013. TCC then took the case to the international arbitration court claiming that it had invested more than $500-million in exploration and feasibility studies
Another article published in Dawn in 2015.
“
Analysis: Reko Diq’s billion-dollar mystery
Syed Shoaib Hasan
Updated January 23, 2015
Earlier, the Supreme Court, in an order passed in January 2013, had declared void the Chagai Hills Exploration Joint Venture Agreement (CHEJVA) signed between the Baluchistan government and Australian mining company BHP in 1993. “
Full article -
https://www.dawn.com/news/1158808
Admittedly it was a bad contract; however, the mere fact that the contract favors one party more than the second does not justify arbitrary cancellation of the contract.
Pakistan has been fighting the case since then and after spending nearly $16-million in legal expenses, the end result is a penalty of $4-billion plus interest charges of $1.87-billion, with zero income from the supposed huge Reko dig mine.
Naturally, you are free to defend the person who caused the loss of $5.87-billion to Pakistan. I would, however, continue to curse all who are responsible for causing grievous harm to Pakistan’s economy in pursuit of their personal glory.
I have nothing else to say on this subject.
