ISLAMABAD - The Balochistan government is ready to share the feasibility report of Reko Diq project and would submit it to the court, informed Advocate General Salahuddin Mengal to Supreme Court on Tuesday. He, however, pleaded that it should not be made public in view of its confidentiality and importance. The bench accepted his request. Its worth mentioning that the court during the hearing of the case, which has been going on since last month, on various occasions had stated that the feasibility was not being provided by the provincial government or the company. A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Muhammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani heard the case. The apex court has been hearing petitions challenging the award of a contract to the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) - a Canadian consortium of Barrick Gold and Antofagasta Minerals - for exploring gold and copper at Reko Diq in Chagai district of Balochistan. During the proceedings, Chief Justice remarked that national interest was not regarded in this project as it should have been. The bench raised concerns on the exploration and mining activities in the area with regard to security and strategic point of view. The Chief Justice remarked they had gone through the relevant record but there was not a single provision of law or guideline for the protection of such a strategic area. The counsel for the TCC, Khalid Anwar, in his arguments before the court said that the company had followed all the rules and regulations about the Reko Diq project. He said that the Army was also provided a thorough briefing before the contract was awarded, but there was nothing in black and white about the said briefing. The military did not express any reservations over the matter, he added. The learned counsel said that nuclear aspect of the area had already been imbedded in the mining rules and the strategic point of view was also attended to. He said about 20 multi-national companies are already working in the Chagai area. The Chief Justice directed Deputy Attorney General Chaudhry Mazhar Ali to take up the matter with the relevant authorities, particularly the defence institutions, regarding exploration and mining at Reko Diq in view of the national security and the strategic location of the project and then apprise the court about their views. The Supreme Court directed companies exploring copper and gold at Reko Diq to provide the details about the project.