QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Saturday adopted two constitutional resolutions to promote and encourage investment and hand over the provincial executive authority to the federation under seven laws related to deciding disputes between the Reko Diq mining company and its shareholders.
Both resolutions were passed by majority vote amid uproar from opposition members, who said passing the resolutions was equal to selling Reko Diq to the Centre and vowed to challenge them in a court “to protect Balochistan’s rights”.
The assembly session, presided over by Acting Speaker Sardar Babar Khan Musakhail, started two and a half hours after its scheduled time.
The parliamentary secretary for law, Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi, moved the resolutions in the absence of the minister for mines and minerals.
One resolution said the house conferred the powers to parliament to amend certain laws. The other resolution said the Balochistan government had entrusted the federal government functions concerning certain matters to which the executive authority of the province extends.
The opposition members belonging to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) protested after the resolutions were passed.
Talking to the media after the assembly session, opposition members said they would challenge the resolutions in court and take to the streets if needed.
The opposition leaders — including Malik Naseer Ahmad Shahwani, Akhtar Hussain Lango, Asghar Ali Tareen and Abdul Wahid Siddiqui — said the government hastily enacted the legislation “by misleading the members of the assembly” and that “we will not allow anyone to compromise on Balochistan’s rights”.
“In the briefing on the Reko Diq agreement, the opposition’s position was that 50 per cent of the share should be given to the province. Last night, the schedule of the assembly meeting was suddenly changed and the meeting was called. We were not even provided with the agenda till 4 o’clock,” Mr Shahwani said.
Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2022
