QUETTA: Former senator Lashkari Raisani on Friday called for the repeal of the recently approved Balochistan Mines and Minerals Act 2025 and a clarification on reports about a deal on handing over the Pasni coast to the US.

In a press conference at the Quetta Press Club, the ex-senator said the Pasni matter should be discussed in the provincial assembly. He warned the natural resources of Balochistan would not be allowed to be plundered recklessly while calling for a fresh review of the Mines and Minerals Act and stronger legislation to safeguard the province’s resources.

The former lawmaker recalled that in the past, Balochistan was deprived of its minerals and locals remained without jobs and basic services despite rich resources.

He urged youth, women and political activists to unite against what he described as “unjust measures” and proxy tactics used over successive periods to distract the public while the province’s resources were exploited. He also criticised controversial schemes like the “greenbelt” resettlement plan, which he warned could reduce local populations to minorities in their own land.

Describing decades of crises that have left parts of the province in turmoil, Mr Raisani called for collective action from educated classes, political workers, and civil society to pull Balochistan out of a cycle of instability. He said land grabs on tribal ancestral lands must be stopped and redressed claiming that the corrupt elements were weakening the province’s rightful claims.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2025