Pashteen Vows to Oppose Sale of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Natural Resources

Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), has pledged to oppose plans involving the sale of and investment in the mines and natural resources of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, vowing that he will not allow these resources to be sold.

In a video message, Pashteen said a programme concerning the sale of mines, natural resources and other assets of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a province predominantly inhabited by Pashtuns was scheduled to take place in Islamabad on November 12 and 13. He described the planned event as part of a broader effort to transfer control of the province’s resources to outside investors without the consent of local communities.

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s assets belonged to the Pashtuns and that Punjab had neither the authority nor the right to sell them. Pashteen argued that decisions affecting the province’s mineral wealth should be made by its own people and representatives, not by officials from other provinces.

Pashteen said a protest would be held outside the World Bank’s office in Washington, the US capital, against the decision. He called on all Pashtuns to raise their voices over the issue, urging them to mobilise both inside Pakistan and among the diaspora.

He added that they had obtained the email addresses of companies involved in the programme and planned to send them protest letters opposing agreements for the sale of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s mines and natural resources. Pashteen warned that any company participating in the sale would face sustained opposition and reputational risk.

The PTM leader also reiterated his movement’s longstanding demands, including accountability for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and said the resource issue was part of a wider struggle for the rights and dignity of Pashtuns. He called for greater transparency in the management of provincial resources and for meaningful consultation with local stakeholders before any agreements are finalised.

The announced protest and letter-writing campaign underscore the growing tensions over the management of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s mineral wealth, as the PTM seeks to frame the issue as a question of provincial autonomy and the economic rights of local communities.

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