Watan Party has filed an application, urging the Supreme Court to fix to December 8 as next hearing of a pending petition against awarding Gwadar Deep Seaport contract to a consortium Singapore Ports Authority for 40-year lease extendable by 10 years.
In the main petition, it has been alleged that the contact awarded to the company in year 2006 is in violation of Articles 2A, 4, 5, 9, 11, 18, 24, 25, 37 and 38 of the constitution and as it would not only affect Pakistan strategically, but also financially.
The petitioner contended that the extremely profitable Gwadar Port has been leased out on the terms highly favourable to the respondent company, as it has been exempted from corporate and local taxes in addition to abolishing all duties on equipment and machinery, imported by it, for 20 years.
The petition pointed out that despite the fact China spent 80 per cent for the project, the contract was awarded to Singapore company allegedly under American pressure and to jeopardise vital interest of Pakistan and Iran. It further alleged that the contract was awarded without open bidding as no details of it were made public.
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