QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court expressed anger over the absence of the secretary and the director general of the mines and minerals department from the proceedings of a case regarding the Saindak copper-cum-gold project on Monday.

The high court bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Noor Meskanzai and Justice Hashim Kakar censured both officials for defying the court proceedings and failure to respond to the petition filed by a former senator, Sanaullah Baloch.

The petitioner has challenged the agreement signed by the federal government to extend the contract of the Saindak project to a Chinese company for another five years.

Mr Baloch was present in the court.

Extension of Saindak project contract to Chinese company challenged

Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Khan Kakar and Assistant Advocate General Shahak Baloch, representing the government, pledged to submit the official response on the petition at the earliest and said that both officials of the mines and minerals department would appear in the next hearing.

A local representative of the Chinese company, MCC, was also present in the court.

The court ordered the Chinese company to present details of the social welfare work done so far by it in the area.

Talking to media after the court proceedings, Mr Baloch said that the Balochistan government was not taking the petition seriously and ignoring its proceedings.

The former senator claimed that the mining lease of 1974 concerned copper only and there was no mention of gold.

Mr Baloch claimed that the Chinese company had already taken away 1,600kg of gold from Saindak. The company did not fulfil its promise to establish a refinery separating gold from copper at the metal mining complex, he added.

The petitioner said mining gold from copper mines was illegal as it was not part of the lease.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2018