KP governor says province's people hold first right to its resources

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said on Sunday that the people of the province hold the first right to its natural resources, and that any outside party wanting a share would have to come through a joint venture with local residents.

"Till I am here, the people of the province will have the first right to its resources," Dawn quoted him as saying. Kundi said nobody should think that foreigners would come and take the province's wealth.

The Express Tribune reported that he spoke at the annual Urs of Darbar-e-Aalia Murshidabad Sharif in Peshawar. He listed gas, oil, minerals and electricity among the province's resources, and said protection of the people was his first priority.

Dawn reported that Kundi said a third party from outside the province, whether foreign or from elsewhere in Pakistan, could enter a joint venture with the province's people if they were willing.

On security, he said residents had made heavy sacrifices in the fight against militancy, naming schoolchildren, security personnel, police and journalists among those killed. "Although we may have differences on many issues, we must stand united to establish peace in the province," the Express Tribune quoted him as saying. He asked religious scholars to play their part, saying people listen to them and respect their views.

The governor also said more than half of the national cricket team's players belong to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Kundi has held administrative control of the province since governor's rule and an emergency were imposed on October 11, transferring executive authority from the PTI-led provincial government to him. An 11-member advisory council was formed to assist him, and the federal government set up a separate administrative structure for 12 districts, including an Area Representative and Development Council.

On October 17, six days after governor's rule began, Kundi said the province's minerals would be extracted and sold, and invited domestic and foreign companies to invest through joint ventures with Pakistani firms and local communities. Opposition parties said the remarks raised fears that governor's rule was being used to gain control of the province's mineral wealth. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry rejected any link between the emergency and mineral extraction, saying the move was made to address the security situation, and that the federal government maintained Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan would have the first right to their own mineral resources, with the proceeds spent on provincial development.

Control of mineral resources has been contested for more than a year. In April 2025, parties across the provincial assembly opposed the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill, arguing it threatened provincial autonomy and the assembly's authority over natural resources. A separate Mineral Development and Management Company Bill in January drew criticism from PTI leaders and supporters; the provincial government defended it as a way to regulate mining and ensure local communities benefited, but its implementation was put on hold after the backlash.