KHYBER
\nThe Mines Owners Association, Khyber on Friday rejected the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill 2025 and declared it a deliberate effort by the Federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to take hold of natural resources in the merged tribal districts.
\nLed by the Association head Asghar Afridi, a number of the members of the organization while carrying banners and placards inscribed with statements against the Bill took out a protest rally at Khyber Chawk, Bara Bazaar on Friday morning.
\nThe marchers chanted slogans against the Bill and called it a seizure on their minerals.
\nSpeaking to the rally and addressing a press conference in local press club Asghar Afridi, General Secretary Advocate Sameen Jan, Vice-President Malik Gulzar Afridi, Deputy Finance Secretary Hashmat Khan and others termed the Bill as an attack on provincial autonomy and was equivalent economic killing of Pakhtun community.
\nMinerals had always remained a provincial subject after the 18th Amendment and involvement of the Federal government undermined the rights of the provinces, they regretted.
\nThey accused the government of drafting the bill secretly and without consultation with the tribal stakeholders\u2019 like to deprive the three decades\u2019 militancy hit tribal of earning three times meal for their families.
\nOur forefathers protected the minerals for hundreds years and now the grasping policy of the Federal and provincial government is unacceptable, they remarked.
\nThey maintained, we endorse all decisions of the provincial organization of Mines protection business and stand firm for the fight for our rights.
\nThe protestors demanded the immediate withdrawal of what they said anti- local trading and cruel Mines and Minerals Bill 2025 and threatened that if their demands were not met then they would extend their protest across the province.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KHYBER The Mines Owners Association, Khyber on Friday rejected the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill 2025 and declared it a deliberate effort by the Federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to take hold of natural resources in the merged tribal districts. Led by the Association head Asghar Afridi, a number of the members of the organization […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-473403","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n