BHC admits pleas challenging Mines and Minerals Act

QUETTA: A two-member bench of the Balochistan High Court, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Bareech and Justice Sardar Ahmed Halimi, on Monday admitted multiple constitutional petitions challenging the recently enacted Mines and Minerals Act for hearing, and issued notices to provincial and federal governments.

The petitions were filed by political figures and parties including former senator Mir Lashkari Khan Raisani, former federal minister Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd, Barrister Iqbal Kakar, National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Balochistan National Party, Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, and Awami National Party, among others.

Following the court’s decision, senior lawyers including Riaz Ahmed, Rahib Baledi, Barrister Iqbal Kakar, and Nazir Agha, along with Lashkari Raisani, Humayun Kurd, Mian Badr Munir, Changez Hayee Baloch, and Hameedullah Kakar, addressed the media outside the court. They termed the development historic, emphasizing that this was the first time such a significant constitutional challenge had been admitted regarding legislation passed by the Balochistan Assembly. The petitioners alleged that the Mines and Minerals Act, passed without adequate debate, was part of an attempt by the federal government to seize control over Balochistan’s mineral resources.

Lawyer Riaz Ahmed contended before the court that the federal government was making efforts to dominate Balochistan’s mineral wealth. The legal team claimed that many provincial lawmakers were misled, asserting that the bill presented to them differed from the one that was ultimately passed. Criticism centered on the drastic financial changes imposed by the Act. Under the previous 2002 version, local citizens could secure mining leases for as little as Rs500,000. The new Act, however, imposes conditions involving investment in crores of rupees, effectively paving the way for outside corporations to take over mining operations in the province.

Lashkari Raisani warned that the implementation of the Act would result in displacement of local communities and the conversion of Balochistan into a ‘prison’ once international corporations began operating under the new framework. He vowed to resist the Act on every available forum, expressing confidence that the collective efforts of the people of Balochistan and the legal fraternity would ultimately prevail. He announced plans to convene an All Parties Conference in Quetta next month, inviting the parties that recently participated in the Islamabad APC to focus attention on Balochistan. Raisani alleged that the legislation was pushed through with ill intent, accusing the provincial government of effectively surrendering Balochistan’s natural resources to the federal authorities. The Mines and Minerals Act had been passed by the Balochistan Assembly on March 12, 2025, and signed into law by the governor on March 14.