APC rejects mines and mineral bill

PESHAWAR
An All Parties Conference (APC) on Tuesday unanimously rejected the proposed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mines and Minerals Bill 2025, calling it an assault on provincial autonomy.
The participants urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to reject the bill in its entirety and announced plans to launch a vigorous constitutional and legal campaign against its implementation in the province. The APC, organized by the ANP at its headquarters Bacha Khan Markaz Peshawar, was attended by leaders of all major national and provincial partes including JUI-F, the PML-N, the PPP, the QWP, the JI, the JUI, the NDM, the PMAP, the MKP, the PNAP, and the AWP.
Political leaders and representatives from all major parties across the province participated in the conference, where the proposed bill was discussed in detail, along with its potential negative implications for the province.
Following comprehensive deliberations, the conference issued a unanimous declaration categorically rejecting the proposed legislation.
The declaration denounced the bill as a direct attack on provincial autonomy, the control of local resources, and the supremacy of the provincial assembly, all of which are protected under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Participants criticized the bill as a federal attempt to assert control over the province’s mineral resources, which they stated contravenes constitutional provisions and threatens the trust between the federation and the provinces.
The APC emphasized that the ownership and control of KP’s natural resources rest solely with its people and their elected representatives.
It rejected any interference by federal institutions, including the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the Federal Minerals Wing, deeming such involvement unconstitutional and illegitimate.
The declaration went further to condemn the establishment of what it described as an “unconstitutional and illegal” body like the SIFC, accusing it of seeking control over key provincial sectors such as agriculture, minerals, tourism, environment, and information technology. The APC strongly opposed what it described as increasing federal and military involvement in economic and political affairs.
The bill, the declaration stated, violates the rights of local communities, workers, and those directly associated with the mining sector.
In a show of solidarity, the APC expressed full support for the political parties of Balochistan in their opposition to a similar minerals law passed there and demanded its immediate repeal.
In the event of its forced implementation, the APC warned of a province-wide protest movement. The gathering called upon writers, lawyers, civil society, and youth to join the struggle, which it described as a national campaign for the rights of the federating units and for upholding constitutional supremacy.
Also in attendance were representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, legal community, mining sector experts, business organizations, the Mines and Minerals Association, civil society groups, and central and provincial leadership of the ANP.