ISLAMABAD    -     The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday reserved its opinion on the presidential reference on reintroduced Reko diq gold mining project. A five-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel reserved the opinion after hearing additional attorney general, amicus curiae, and Barrick Gold’s counsels. The court will pass the short order next week in this regard. President dr Arif Alvi on october 18 had referred two questions to the Supreme Court under Article 186 of the Constitution; Whether the earlier judgment of the Supreme Court reported as Maulvi Abdul Haque Baloch vs Federation of Pakistan PLD 2013 SC 641, the Constitution of Pakistan, laws or public policy prevent the government of Pakistan and the government of Balochistan from entering into the Reko diq agreements or affect their validity? And if enacted, would the proposed Foreign Investment (Protection and Promotion) Bill, 2022 be valid and constitutional? In the last hearing, Justice Bandial had expressed concern about the safety and welfare of people who will be employed for the Reko diq project. He questioned what the workmen will get? He asked Barrick Gold’s counsel do you have in mind the minimum wage of the workers for the gold mines project? The CJP further said that the salary structure of the workers in the international organisations and the petroleum companies is much better. Barrick Gold’s counsel said that right now, he cannot tell about minimum wage, but it would be higher than the many companies paying in Pakistan.