BAP slams parties’ ‘conflicting’ remarks on mines law

Published January 4, 2026
Image shows dumptrucks hauling coal and sediment at a coal mine. — Reuters/File
Image shows dumptrucks hauling coal and sediment at a coal mine. — Reuters/File

• Says some of them support Balochistan legislation in parliament but oppose it in public
• Questions conduct of opposition members who enjoy govt perks, privileges

QUETTA: The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) on Saturday exp­ressed serious concern over what it described as contradictory statements and conduct of certain nationalist and religious political parties regarding the Balochistan Mines and Minerals Act, both inside and outside parliament.

The party’s central spokesman said in a statement issued here that BAP maintained the same position in parliament as it did before the public, whereas, unfortunately, some political and religious parties supported the law within parliamentary forums while simultaneously misleading the public outside parliament through protests and inflammatory rhetoric.

He termed this approach “a failed attempt to deceive the people”.

The spokesperson poi­nted out that there was a clear contradiction bet­ween the words and actions of several parties represented in parliament.

Referring to a religious party, he said it supported the law in the relevant committee but later staged a symbolic suspension of its member’s party membership, which was subsequently restored, in an attempt to create a misleading impression.

He added that the party’s stance inside parliament was entirely different from what it projected publicly.

Similarly, the spokesperson alleged that a nationalist party remained involved behind the scenes in running the former government of Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo for a long time.

He claimed that one of its current members of the assembly supported the mines and minerals law in the committee, yet the party continued to play a token opposition role before the public merely for show.

Conduct questioned

He further questioned the conduct of other Baloch and Pashtun nationalist parties in the present assembly, stating that their members sat on the opposition benches while enjoying all government and personal perks and privileges.

According to him, these parties were part of the government when it came to securing benefits, but raised opposition slogans to mislead the public, which he termed “a betrayal of the people”.

The spokesperson reiterated that adopting one position inside parliament while staging protests, pursuing court cases, and creating an uproar outside over the mines and minerals law was tantamount to keeping the public in the dark.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2026

Opinion

Editorial

JAAC ban
07 Jun, 2026

JAAC ban

TENSION has once again gripped Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with the region’s administration proscribing the Jammu...
GB election
07 Jun, 2026

GB election

THE Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly will be elected today by the people of that region. Yet again, themes like the...
ODI win
07 Jun, 2026

ODI win

AT last, the Pakistan cricket team had something to celebrate: a One-day International series victory against...
Trump rebuked
Updated 06 Jun, 2026

Trump rebuked

OBSERVERS across the world have long questioned the utility of Donald Trump’s now three-month-old war on Iran. But...
Hostile water motives
06 Jun, 2026

Hostile water motives

INDIA’S latest move to advance the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel Project and its plan to flush silt from the Salal Dam...
Polio progress
06 Jun, 2026

Polio progress

PAKISTAN’S latest sub-national polio campaign offers encouraging evidence that the country can still push back...