Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, during an exchange with Finance Minister Asad Umar on Tuesday, voiced his concerns regarding the government's "seriousness" to build dams.

Last week, Justice Nisar, who is set to retire on Jan 17, had regretted that the matter of Nai Gaj Dam's construction could not be resolved within his tenure. A three-judge SC bench last year had taken up a petition moved through senior counsel Rasheed A. Razvi highlighting hurdles in the way of Nai Gaj Dam’s construction.

The outgoing chief justice had expressed his disappointment that the matter will now be stuck with the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) before summoning Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan, Minister for Finance Asad Umar and cabinet secretary.

When the finance minister did not show up at the start of the hearing today, the deputy attorney general informed the top judge that Umar "is in a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet".

"We had summoned him; could he not have left the meeting and come?" Justice Nisar asked. "We wanted our orders to be followed."

A few hours later, when the minister appeared before the bench, the chief justice addressed him, saying: "I don't think the government is serious regarding the building of the dam."

"This issue came under my knowledge when it was presented in the Ecnec (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec)," the finance minister explained to the Supreme Court bench. "An application regarding the Nai Gaj Dam was presented in Ecnec yesterday and we referred it to the cabinet."

"Then there is no coordination in your government," Justice Nisar countered.

"It is possible, sir," Umar said as he did not offer a defence to the judge's remarks.

"The government means government and the federation means federation," Justice Nisar said as he regretted that "the pace with which we want to resolve this issue is not being done".

"You folks cannot work," the judge told the minister. "Your love for this country has diminished. The bureaucracy does not have the passion and intention to work.

"We do not want to dictate this government. We do not want to run this government either. We have [only] worked on the fundamental rights of the people."

At this, the finance minister acknowledged the chief justice's work and told him that "the history will remember you for your work regarding dams."

Umar also assured the judge that the Nai Gaj Dam's matter will be discussed during an Ecnec session on Jan 25.

The bench instructed the minister to inform the court regarding dam-related decisions taken in Ecnec immediately after its scheduled session.

Subsequently, the case's hearing was adjourned for two weeks.

Outside the court, the finance minister again commended Justice Nisar. "It's the chief justice's passion that dams get built and water crisis gets resolved," he said. "We appreciate his efforts."

When reminded by media personnel of the chief justice's remarks regarding a lack of coordination between government institutions, Umar did not discount the possibility of there being merit in the judge's assessment. "It is possible that we may have been lacking on this issue," he said.

The finance minister, in the same media briefing, claimed that the upcoming mini-budget, set to be presented on Jan 23, will not increase taxes but instead boost exports.

"The mini-budget will result in increasing the [flow of] investment and business," the PTI leader said.

The government recently decided to shelve a major power project pushed by the PML-N regime under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

When asked today if the government plans to shut down many CPEC projects, Umar clarified that the projects under consideration are the one that had never been finalised.

Furthermore, the finance minister claimed that "we will focus on industrial production and commerce in the next phase of CPEC."

He also told the media to not worry the public regarding the state of the country's economy.