Raisani calls Balochistan Mines and Minerals Act a law of plunder

QUETTA: Senior politician and former senator Nawabzada Haji Mir Lashkari Khan Raisani on Wednesday described the Mines and Minerals Act as a law of plunder and said efforts were being stepped up to challenge the legislation and protect Balochistan’s resources for future generations.

Speaking to the media after a hearing of his petition in the Balochistan High Court, Mr Raisani said elected representatives were giving greater attention to Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) schemes instead of defending Balochistan’s rights, adding that this approach was aggravating the situation.

He said the chief minister had stated that implementation of the Act had been stopped through an executive order, but added that the order had neither been placed on the court record nor made public.

Mr Raisani further said the government had referred to the formation of a committee, but no notification had been issued and no details had been shared. He reiterated that the campaign against the Act would continue in order to protect the province’s resources for future generations.

He also said that giving priority to PSDP schemes over provincial rights was contributing to increasing unemployment, poverty, injustice and insecurity in Balochistan.

Replying to a question, Mr Raisani said that if the establishment had not protected foreign interests over the past 70 years, the country would not be facing its present crises.

Counsel questions delay and lack of record

Barrister Muhammad Iqbal Kakar, counsel for Mr Raisani, said that at the previous hearing the advocate general had claimed to have a copy of the chief minister’s executive order on his mobile phone and that it was supposed to be made part of the court record.

He criticised the situation and said it appeared the government was trying to run the province through mobile phones while also using delaying tactics.

Barrister Kakar said Mr Raisani had written to the director of Mines and Minerals Development seeking information about licences that had been issued, but no reply had been received.

He demanded that the executive order said to have halted implementation of the Act should be placed on record and made public, adding that the government was creating ambiguity.

He further said the chief minister had claimed that the implementation of the Act was halted through an executive order, but that order had neither been made part of the court record nor shared with the public.

The remarks came after proceedings in the Balochistan High Court concerning Mr Raisani’s petition against the legislation. According to Mr Raisani and his counsel, questions remain over the status of the executive order and the government’s announced committee, as neither the order nor any formal notification has been produced before the court or disclosed publicly.