People Have the First Right Over Balochistan’s Resources, Not Afraid of Fourth Schedule Listings: Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman

*Quetta (Daily Qudrat):* Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Balochistan and MPA Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch has said that the people of Balochistan have the foremost right over the province’s natural resources, including projects such as Saindak, Reko Diq, CPEC, and other development initiatives.

Speaking during a meeting at Jamaat-e-Islami’s provincial secretariat, Al-Falah House, with a delegation of 35 individuals whose names were placed on the Fourth Schedule by the Pishin DC and administration for struggling to secure their rights, Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman said that the resources of Balochistan should be spent on its own people. “Other provinces are being run on Balochistan’s resources, while the local population continues to suffer from unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, lack of healthcare, drinking water shortages, and even basic food insecurity,” he said.

He strongly condemned the inclusion of names in the Fourth Schedule of those striving to protect resources in Khanozai, stating that such actions prove that the authorities are not well-wishers of the people of Balochistan. “Cases, arrests, threats, and pressure cannot stop us from our legitimate struggle for rights and protection of resources,” he asserted, calling the struggle of Khanozai’s youth “commendable and exemplary.” He announced that Jamaat-e-Islami would resist and protest against the use of the Fourth Schedule in this manner.

Members of the delegation told Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman that, unfortunately, raising one’s voice and protesting through legal and constitutional means for legitimate rights has now been turned into a crime. They said that despite their rights being guaranteed by Islam, the Constitution of Pakistan, and the law, the DC and administration were intimidating them through pressure, threats, and legal cases.

Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman further said that in Balochistan, legal and constitutional protests for the recovery of missing persons, protection of resources, and legitimate rights have been criminalized, with even women being imprisoned on such charges. He alleged that there is no justice, law, or accountability in the province, claiming that courts, assemblies, and institutions have become mere spectators. “We have turned into living corpses,” he remarked, adding controversially that courts have become ineffective due to the absence of justice.

He accused security forces and rulers of turning Balochistan into a “no-go area” and stressed that reconciliation and dialogue are the path to life and success. “Through democratic reconciliation, we can stop oppression, exploitation, and plunder, and secure our democratic, economic, and constitutional rights,” he said.

Highlighting the irony that areas rich in chromite, gold, silver, gas, and other minerals are facing terrorism and instability, he claimed that conspiracies are being hatched to turn natural resources into a source of danger for local communities. “We will neither bow to pressure nor engage in any illegal activity. We may die, but we will never hand over our resources to others,” he said, vowing to confront fear and intimidation with public strength, law, and dignity.