QUETTA: Former senator Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani has said that the Mines and Minerals Act, Balochistan, is designed to plunder resources of future generations of the province, calling on political parties in parliament to play their role in revisiting the legislation to protect provincial assets. He stressed that if corrective measures are not undertaken, the matter would be taken to the “people’s court”.
Speaking at a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on Sunday alongside his lawyer Barrister Muhammad Iqbal Kakar and Prof Hanif Bazai, Mr Lashkari warned that if parliament fails to act, political parties will be forgotten by both history and the people of Balochistan.
He said that in the absence of corrective measures, they would take the matter to the “people’s court” and launch a political, constitutional, and democratic struggle with public support to stop illegal actions.
He said that on March 12 last year the Balochistan Assembly passed the Mines and Minerals Act, transferring sweeping powers over the land and mineral resources of the province to federal government. He said a seven-member committee, headed by a DG-rank officer, had been granted authority to allocate lands and mineral areas — powers that he said directly contradict the 18th Constitutional Amendment, which devolves authority to provinces.
Ex-senator Raisani vows to take matter to people’s court if corrective measures are not taken
He expressed concern that political parties, both inside and outside parliament, remained silent on the law despite their responsibility to safeguard the public rights and act as a bridge between the state and citizens.
He said no political party raised objections to the Act, prompting him and his colleagues to mobilise the people on the issue and reach out to political leaders, lawyers, journalists, and civil society to unite against this legislation.
He alleged that deals over Reko Diq had already been finalised and described the Act as a tool to strip Balochistan province of its rights. According to him, behind-the-scenes benefits, including assembly seats and other favours, were secured by some stakeholders.
The former senator said a constitutional petition challenging the Act is currently under hearing in the court, adding that despite an executive order from the Mines Department to suspend the Act, reports of tenders and allotments continue to surface. He claimed that repeated requests for official details have gone unanswered, and even efforts to obtain a copy of the chief minister’s executive order through the courts have seen no progress.
Mr Raisani claimed he did not believe in taking “backdoor routes” to power and said they have approached the courts seeking justice and protection for people’s rights from flawed legislation. He warned that future generations’ survival depended on control over provincial resources and criticised political parties for failing to fulfil their constitutional, political and social responsibilities.
He urged the judiciary to play an effective role and said that if the parliament does not review and amend the law, they will take the issue directly to the masses.
Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2026
