MPA says Mines and Mineral Bill controversial

BARA: Member of the Provincial Assembly and District Development Advisory Committee Chairman Abdul Ghani Afridi on Tuesday defended the boycott of the briefing on the Mines and Minerals Bill at the KP Assembly and said that some provisions of the proposed legislation were controversial.

“All the members of the assembly belonging to merged districts boycotted the briefing on bill on Monday as some provisions of the proposed legislation were an attempt to seize the resources of the tribal areas,” he said while speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected chairman and other office bearers of the Khyber Contractors Association.

“Our protest will continue until these controversial provisions are removed from the bill,” the MPA said, adding that he would oppose any move that was against the interests of the people of our areas.

The lawmaker promised to raise an effective voice at every forum to protect the interests of the tribal people. The MPA added that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan would not come out of jail as a result of any deal.

Earlier, the contractors apprised the chief guest of their problems. They demanded that a separate account should be established for the development funds of the merged districts so that the amount was spent in a transparent manner.

The event was also addressed by All Tribal Contractors Association President Zahir Jan, Chairman Badshah Khan Afridi, former Khyber Union president Bazar Gul, Malik Muhammad Hussain, Hashim Khan, general secretary of Khyber Contractor Association Umar Akbar, newly elected chairman of Khyber Contractors Association Gul Ahmed, patron-in-chief Malik Mohib Gul and president of Khyber Contractors Association Taj Muhammad.

Later, MPA Abdul Ghani Afridi, while talking to journalists, expressed his reservations about the Mines and Minerals Bill 2025 and reiterated his resolve to continue the struggle for protecting the interests of the tribal people.