Pashtunkhwa’s Mineral Resources Are a National Trust; Exploitative Deals and Unfair Distribution Unacceptable: Pashtunkhwa NAP

QUETTA: Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (Pashtunkhwa NAP) has strongly opposed what it described as unilateral decisions and the potential unfair distribution of mineral resources in Pashtunkhwa and other parts of the country through the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum (PMIF-2026), held in Islamabad.

In a statement issued by its central secretariat, the party said it would not accept any unconstitutional, undemocratic or anti-people distribution of natural resources.

The statement said Pashtunkhwa was rich in copper, gold, precious stones and other rare mineral deposits. These resources, it maintained, were not merely commercial commodities but a national trust, a historic asset of the Pashtun nation and a vital source of economic prosperity for future generations. The party asserted that local people had the primary and fundamental right over these resources.

It said that all projects involving the exploration, extraction, processing and sale of minerals should primarily serve the economic development of local communities, create employment opportunities, strengthen the industrial base and promote regional prosperity rather than benefit a handful of rulers, powerful institutions and capitalist interests.

The party maintained that the existing governments, which it described as lacking a representative mandate, had no authority to make unilateral decisions about the future of Pashtunkhwa’s natural resources without taking the local population into confidence.

Referring to the 18th Constitutional Amendment and Article 172 of the Constitution of Pakistan, the statement stressed that provincial constitutional powers and rights over natural resources must be recognised. It noted that Article 172(3) provides for joint and equal ownership between the federal and provincial governments of mineral oil and natural gas, while provincial authority and local interests in other mineral resources must also be protected under relevant constitutional and provincial laws.

Pashtunkhwa NAP also cautioned international investors, global mining companies and relevant financial institutions against proceeding with investment projects involving the region’s mineral resources without ensuring genuine political representation of local people, provincial constitutional powers, community rights and transparent public consultation.

The party said agreements or administrative approvals secured through governments lacking public representation could not, by themselves, provide any project with legitimate public consent.

It demanded that all mineral exploration and extraction projects ensure the consent of local communities, environmental protection, transparent agreements, employment opportunities and technical training for local youth, processing of minerals within the region and a fair share of the resulting revenue for the area.

The statement warned that if the exploitation of mineral resources continued while public rights and genuine representatives were ignored, the Pashtun people would reserve the right to launch political resistance and protests through all constitutional and democratic forums.

The party held the relevant governments and institutions responsible for any consequences arising from such actions.

Concluding its statement, Pashtunkhwa NAP appealed to all national, political, religious, democratic and progressive forces, intellectuals, lawyers, student organisations, tribal elders and civil society groups to rise above personal, group and political differences and unite to protect their national wealth, natural resources and the economic future of coming generations.