The Attorney General of Pakistan and Power & Finance Division are expected to finalize a strategy on the Karkey dispute as experts in international law urge Pakistan to resolve the dispute through negotiations to avoid high costs.
Bilal Ahmer Sufi, an expert in international law while talking to Business Recorder urged Pakistan to settle Karkey case through negotiations in order to avoid a heavy penalty.
The latest development in Karkey case as on June 1, 2018, is the filing of a memorial on annulment by Pakistan as per the International Center for Settlement of Investment Dispute (ICSID) website. The status of the proceedings is pending.
An official of Power Division on condition of anonymity told this correspondent that the Office of the Attorney General and other relevant ministries/departments are likely meet soon to finalize a future strategy.
He further stated that the Office of Attorney General is the appropriate place to seek information about Karkey as all details of the case were shifted from the Power Ministry to the Attorney General's Office after the Karkey agreement transformed into a dispute subsequent to the decision of the apex court.
"When an agreement turns into a dispute in international arbitration, all the details of the case are transferred to the Attorney General's office," he added.
The official said that the contract of Karkey Power ship was annulled by the then Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Khawaja Asif and Faisal Saleh Hayat. Subsequently, the Turkish firm, M/s Karkey registered a claim with ICSID against the government of Pakistan in 2013, for contract violation. Since then Pakistan has spent a significant amount on lawyers' fees as well as other expenses including travel expenses of the Attorney General of Pakistan and his officials.
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