PTI MPA Anwar Zeb walks out of briefing. Assembly session on mines and mineral bill mars by heated exchanges
JAVED KHAN
PESHAWAR
A detailed briefing session on the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill, 2025 was held at the Jirga Hall of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly here on Monday. The session was attended by members of the provincial assembly, cabinet members, and representatives from relevant departments.
Addressing the participants prior to the briefing, Speaker of the KP Assembly Babar Saleem Swati emphasized the importance of constructive dialogue over political point-scoring. “This is not the first time that a bill has been received from the federation. We must approach it with seriousness and discuss it on merit,” he said and added the proposed bill was sent by the federal department for petroleum.
Speaker Swati clarified that the Mines and Minerals Bill, 2025, was tabled in the assembly after due process. “The bill was first reviewed at the departmental level, then sent to the law department for legal vetting. Following approval from the law department, the finance department also gave its consent,” he added.
He assured the house that the provincial government is committed to legislating in the best interests of the province and its people. “Laws like these go through various stages, including review by standing and select committees. If the house recommends the formation of a select committee for this bill, we are open to forming one,” he stated.
Swati reiterated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government in KP will follow the guidance of its leadership, including the founding chairman Imran Khan, and that no compromise will be made on the rights of the province.
“We will review the Mines and Minerals Act clause by clause. There is no controversy here—we are simply doing our legislative duty,” he added.
The proposed law has sparked debate at various levels across the country, but the KP government maintains that it is acting in the province’s best interest through proper legislative procedure.
The session, held in the Jirga Hall, saw tensions rise during the presentation by the Director General (DG) of Minerals. A verbal clash broke out between Provincial Minister Meena Khan Afridi and Awami National Party (ANP) lawmaker Nisar Baz. The ANP MPA criticized the provincial department for Minerals not providing members with copies of the bill in advance and argued that the proposed legislation conflicted with the 18th Amendment.
Further controversy erupted when a PTI lawmaker from tribal district Bajaur Anwar Zeb questioned whether the bill had been brought to the attention of the party’s founding chairman Imran Khan.
“If the founder of PTI has not been informed about this bill, we neither recognize it nor will we approve it,” he stated. Anwar Zeb announced a boycott of the briefing on behalf of the lawmakers from the merged districts.
Following the walkout, the briefing was suspended. Speaker of the KP Assembly Babar Saleem Swati expressed dissatisfaction with the department’s preparations, stating that the Minerals Department failed to present a comparative analysis of the existing and proposed legislation.
Speaker Swati assured the house that printed copies of the bill would be distributed to all assembly members by the following afternoon, in consultation with the Law Minister and the Opposition Leader.
“The provincial government will make a final decision on the Mines and Minerals Act only after the opinion of the founding chairman is received,” he added and directed all members to review both the old and new versions of the bill and submit their feedback by next Monday.
It is pertinent to mention here that the legislation on the natural resources in the province has created divisions within the assembly members, particularly regarding consultation, transparency, and alignment with constitutional provisions.
