QUETTA: Former senator Nawabzada Lashkari Khan Raisani has suggested a comprehensive political strategy to resolve the multiple crisis being faced by the province since long.

Speaking at a press conference along with Secretary General of National Party Kabir Muhammad Shahi after a meeting in NP Secretariat, he said that public grievances against the provincial and federal governments have intensified following the approval of the Mines and Minerals Act.

Mr Raisani said that a multi-party conference would be convened soon to prepare a consensus draft on the law and submit it to the government.

He said the provincial autonomy and constitutional powers were achieved after a long political struggle but they were effectively handed back to the federation under the new legislation.

Ex-senator says new legislation surrendered autonomy and powers, achieved after a long struggle, to federal govt

Mr Raisani said it had been decided to engage all political parties and stakeholders on the issue, beginning with the visit to the National Party Secretariat.

“Our aim is to convene a joint meeting of political parties, prepare a revised draft with new reforms, and present it again in the assembly,” he said, adding that a multi-party conference would soon be convened to finalise a joint draft for submission to the government.

He said although he was not currently a member of the assembly, he was accountable to the people of Balochistan as a key stakeholder, adding that political parties represented in the assembly could play an effective role in the legislation.

Mr Raisani said that after the Balochistan chief minister announced on the assembly floor that implementation of the Act had been halted through an executive order, he approached the court.

However, the former senator said the government had yet to make the said executive order part of the judicial record, terming it a “questionable act” that appeared to involve the federal government as well.

He said the only viable course now was to re-engage both parliamentary and extra-parliamentary political parties and bring them to the table on a single-point agenda in the broader interest of the province.

He said the National Party leadership had assured its support.

Referring to past events, he claimed that when Nawab Aslam Raisani was the chief minister, efforts were made to stop “plunder”, for which he and his family had paid a heavy price.

He further said that there was now talk of an agreement involving $1.5 billion from the United States, and demanded that elected representatives in the National Assembly, provincial assembly and Senate must make the agreement public.

Welcoming Mr Raisani, National Party Central Secretary General Mir Kabir Shahi said the party had strongly opposed the Mines and Minerals Act and it had challenged it in courts.

He said if Mr Raisani convened a multi-party conference, the National Party would fully support his point of view.

He recalled that the party had earlier proposed that all political parties opposing the Act submit their suggestions, which could be consolidated into a draft and presented in the assembly to secure amendments through parliamentary approval.

“Our position is clear: unity is the only way to resolve the problems of this region,” he said, adding that Balochistan had not gained even “a brick’s worth” of benefit from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, and that even drinking water had not been provided to the port city of Gwadar.

National Party Provincial President Aslam Baloch said the Mines and Minerals Act was in violation of the 1973 Constitution.

He said the government had announced on the assembly floor that implementation of the Act had been suspended, and welcomed Mr Raisani’s proposal, stating that a draft would be presented in the assembly on the matter.

“We will protect Balochistan’s resources at all costs,” he said.

National Party Central Senior Vice President Dr Ishaq Baloch said the 1973 Constitution was a constitutional pact between federating units and the federation, and that even before the 18th Amendment, authority over minerals rested with the provinces. He said global attention was focused on Balochistan’s rare minerals, stressing that the people of Balochistan were the rightful owners of these resources.

He added that all stakeholders would prepare their respective drafts on the Mines and Minerals Act and submit them to the government to ensure proper implementation in line with provincial rights.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2025