Mines and Minerals Bill 2025 is an Economic One Unit—We Will Never Accept It: Aimal Wali Khan
Mines and Minerals Bill 2025 is an Economic One Unit—We Will Never Accept It: Aimal Wali Khan
Peshawar (Press Release): President of the Awami National Party and Senator, Aimal Wali Khan, while addressing the Peshawar High Court Bar Association today, termed the proposed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mines and Minerals Bill 2025 as a direct attack on provincial autonomy and a new form of economic One Unit.
He declared in unequivocal terms that even if this bill is passed in the parliament through numerical strength, he challenges the state that its implementation will not be possible.
“The 18th Constitutional Amendment is the primary reason we have been kept out of the Parliament for the past three elections,” he said. “But now, after the Mines and Minerals Bill 2025, even a child understands why we were sidelined and why certain people were imposed on this country.”
Senator Aimal Wali Khan further added, “If I remain silent on this bill, it would be a betrayal to the martyrs of Qissa Khwani and every single martyred worker of the ANP. Our 105-year-long struggle has solely been for our identity and our right over our resources.”
He highlighted how natural resources in Waziristan, Mohmand, Bajaur, and Kurram have been taken over by powerful groups while the local people remain deprived of basic services. “We are well aware that our minerals are under occupation, and now even the limited authority we still have is being taken away from us.”
Calling the bill a direct violation of the Constitution, he said, “The Mines and Minerals Bill stands in clear contradiction to the 1973 Constitution, provincial autonomy, and the spirit of the 18th Amendment. It is not just a legal maneuver but an ideological attack.”
He acknowledged the leadership of Asfandyar Wali Khan in achieving the 18th Amendment and also credited former President Asif Ali Zardari, stating that, “Without his statesmanship, the victory of provincial autonomy would not have been possible.”
Towards the end of his speech, Senator Aimal Wali Khan congratulated Malgaray Wakeelan and their allies on their historic victories in the Peshawar Bar Association and the Peshawar High Court Bar Association. “If Sindhi lawyers can stand for their water rights, then Pashtun lawyers will also rise for their resources,” he stated.
He concluded with a strong message:
“If we are not given our rightful share of our resources, I will continue to sing the songs of freedom. There will be no compromise and no concessions.”
