Concern over usurpation of provincial sources

Peshawar: PPP Human Rights Cell President Senator Farhatullah Babar has expressed grave concern over the Mines and Minerals Bill in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a blatant attempt by the federation to usurp, in violation of the Constitution, the provincial mineral resources.

This he said on Saturday while addressing a seminar on federalism under the auspices of Peshawar Literary Festival in Peshawar.

He demanded answers to three questions. One, what mineral exploitation projects have already been undertaken by the federal government subsidiaries in the merged districts due to which these areas have been kept separate from the rest of the province in the Bill until December 2030?

Two, what are the so called ‘strategic minerals’ over which the provincial government shall have little say to exploit?

Three, what is the rationale of a federal mineral body to impose unsolicited ‘advice’ to the provincial mineral department?

He said that Pakhtunkhwa province was being treated most unfairly as its share in the NFC was not revised upward after the merger of the tribal districts and the consequent increase in the province’ population, a major determinant of the NFC Award.

He said that the integrity of the federation was not served by the setting up of extra constitutional bodies with the centre’s dominance to oversee economic development and other issues that fall exclusively within the domain of provinces under the 18th Amendments.

He said that federal parliamentary system was threatened by the continuing disregard for the Constitution and trichotomy of powers, blatantly manipulating the mandate of people and power transfer, the rise of the de-facto government sidelining the de-jure government, elite capture of state resources, populism, political polarization and fake news.

He also called upon the political parties to put their own house in order to confront these emerging challenges to the federal system in addition to raising of voice by the civil society against the strident militarization of state and society.