PPP Provincial Minister Says Party Was Not Consulted on Mines Bill, Vows Action; Details Flood Response and Water-Theft Crackdown

Quetta:Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) provincial minister and parliamentary leader **Mir Muhammad Sadiq Umrani** said on Wednesday that his party was not taken into confidence over the recently passed **Mines and Minerals Act**, and pledged to consult PPP Chairperson **Bilawal Bhutto Zardari** before deciding the party’s next steps.

Speaking to reporters at his office, Umrani said the provincial leadership will formulate a course of action in the light of guidance from the party chairman. He reiterated the PPP’s long-standing commitment to represent **small farmers and disadvantaged communities** and stressed that the party will continue to work for their economic and agricultural uplift.

On the recent floods and river management, the irrigation minister described emergency measures taken in coordination with Sindh engineers to protect downstream districts. He said reservoir and barrage gates were operated to divert earlier inflows to the sea so that incoming floodwaters could be managed without catastrophic damage to Naseerabad and adjoining areas. Umrani explained that these steps were necessary to prevent the river from breaching and inundating irrigation infrastructure and populated areas.

Turning to irrigation-sector malpractices, Umrani warned of a major crackdown on **illegal water theft**. He alleged that vast tracts—some 50,000 acres—had been illegally sown with paddy beyond permitted limits and that illegal pumping through unauthorized feeder connections had taxed the system. He said this year around **6,800 cusecs** of water were run through the Pat Feeder—levels unseen in the past 15 years—and accused some landholders of cultivating rice at 100 percent intensity instead of the permitted share.

The minister announced that a special enforcement team under the **Commissioner Naseerabad** will be formed to curb water theft and prosecute offenders. He warned that officials found negligent in preventing illicit water courses and illegal diversion would face inquiry and action.

Umrani also invited media to inspect irrigation works firsthand and reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting farmers’ rights while cracking down on those who undermine the province’s scarce water resources.