Fazlur Rehman demands transparency in deals involving KP minerals

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday that his party would welcome foreign investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but would oppose any sale or exploitation of the province's mineral and natural resources without transparency.

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday that his party would welcome foreign investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but would oppose any sale or exploitation of the province’s mineral and natural resources without transparency.

“If agreements are to be made with major powers about foreign investment, they should be made public. No agreement reached behind closed doors will be acceptable to us,” he said at a social media convention in Peshawar.

Rehman said he was raising genuine concerns about the policies of the federal government and what he described as the influence of powerful quarters.

“Instead of addressing our concerns, they launch propaganda and level false allegations against me. Let me make it clear that such negative campaigns, propaganda and character assassination will never deter me from my position,” he said.

He said his party would continue to work for the protection and prosperity of the country, adding that the state had a responsibility to respond to citizens’ concerns.

“We raise questions on the basis of evidence. We are the sons of this soil, and when we have doubts and concerns, it is the duty of the state to answer them and address our reservations,” he said.

Rehman also referred to discussions about reversing the 2018 merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said some senior officials had told him the merger was a mistake and should be reversed to restore the region’s previous status.

But he said circumstances had changed since the merger, and that the main challenges facing the former tribal districts now concerned their resources and economy.

He said that, nearly a decade after the merger, the land-settlement process remained incomplete, disputes over the distribution of community-owned land had yet to be resolved and an organised police system had not been established in the districts.

“The deputy commissioners are also worried about what to do in these circumstances,” he said.

Rehman said his party was not opposed to foreign investment, adding that countries including the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France could invest in the province.

However, he voiced concern about growing interest in its mineral resources, citing China’s investment under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an expanding US role and recent remarks by the US ambassador about the province’s mineral wealth.

He also referred to Pakistani leaders presenting precious gemstones to the US president and said concerns arising from such developments should be addressed.

“If I have concerns about these developments, they should be addressed,” he said.

Rehman compared foreign military interventions in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, alleging that terrorism had been used as a pretext for intervention in different countries.

He also voiced concern over reports that Kohat Division could be included among the designated districts, saying the closure of legal trade routes with Afghanistan had created further difficulties.

He said residents of the former tribal areas had first lost political rights following the merger and now faced the prospect of losing their economic rights.

Criticising political parties for what he described as their dependence on the establishment, Rehman said political forces should act independently rather than rely on unelected institutions.

He also addressed the controversy over remarks by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, saying he had made a light-hearted comment about the minister and was surprised by his reaction the following day.