PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman on Wednesday termed the contentious Mines and Minerals Bill 2025 an “attack on provincial resources” and warned the federal government of street protests if it fails to reconsider the legislation.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, Fazl said, “Once again, a law is being passed that aims to seize control of provincial resources. If the government does not come to its senses, we will take our message to the people and they will rise to protect their rights.”
Fazl called on the federal government to respect the Constitution and avoid bringing any legislation that goes against its spirit. “No law should contradict the Constitution. We will not accept any amendment to the 18th Amendment,” he said, adding that his party would not allow compromise on provincial autonomy.
He said provinces should retain full authority over their resources and that any business ventures should be carried out through provincial governments, with terms and conditions set by them.
“We will neither hand our resources to international powers nor to the federal government…If any country wants to invest, it must do so through the federal government but under provincial conditions. Our resources must remain in our control, and our interests must be safeguarded,” the JUI-F chief stressed.
Fazl announces ‘million march’ on May 11
Turning to law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fazl said scholars were being targeted and the state’s writ was eroding in the province.
He announced that JUI-F would hold a “million march” in Peshawar on May 11. “This will be part of our awareness campaign, where we will speak on key public issues and awaken the Muslim Ummah,” he said.
“If the Constitution has granted us our rights, we will fight for them,” Fazl reiterated.
He also criticised the federal government’s handling of the former tribal areas’ merger, saying it was rushed. “There was no need for such haste in merging FATA,” he said.
On the issue of Afghan refugees, Fazl said their forced deportation was a serious concern. “Many Afghan refugees have been living and doing business here for over 30 years. If we push them out abruptly, the economy will suffer,” he said, warning that mass cash withdrawals could even collapse the banking sector.
“This is not a one-sided issue; it must be resolved through dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”