Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: According to The Express Tribune, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), called the planned mines and minerals law of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government “unacceptable” and a breach of provincial authority.
Rehman charged the federal government and “international powers” with attempting to seize control of Pakistan’s natural resources at a news conference in Peshawar on Wednesday. He said that if “sensible decisions” were not taken, JUI-F would go to the streets.
“This act violates provinces’ rights and undercuts the 18th Amendment. The Express Tribune cited Fazl as adding, “We will not permit the Center or any foreign power to claim our resources.”
He said that in order to get around constitutional protections, the federal government had devised other legal strategies and was forcing the provinces to create new bodies to oversee their natural resources.
“If any country wants to invest, it must approach the provincial government through the center and respect local conditions,” he said.
The proposed law that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) submitted in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has drawn criticism from opposition parties and PTI officials. According to critics, the bill might diminish provincial authority and centralize control over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s resources.
In defense of the bill’s introduction, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has emphasized that its goals are to control investment, stop illicit mining, and draw in international interest in the province’s mineral industry.
According to The Express Tribune, Maulana Fazlur Rehman also discussed the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and urged the government to negotiate with Afghanistan and create a clear strategy for the registration and return of Afghan refugees.
Following allegations that PTI founder Imran Khan, who is now detained in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, had instructed his party not to pass the legislation without first consulting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and other parliamentarians, Rehman made his comments.
