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KP Gold Mining Halted After Illegal Extraction CrackdownPakistan
The governor said the crackdown had exposed large-scale illegal extraction and warned of zero tolerance against everyone involved in the unlawful trade.
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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has announced the cancellation of all gold mining leases across the province and an immediate halt to all gold mining activities, according to Dunya News. The governor made the announcement at a press conference in Peshawar, where he outlined the findings of a crackdown on illegal mining in the province.
According to the governor, the crackdown revealed that about 90 kilograms of gold was being extracted every month through illegal mining. He said a large share of the money earned from the illegal trade was being moved to Afghanistan, depriving the province and the country of revenue from its own mineral wealth.
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Governor Kundi said there would be zero tolerance against those involved in illegal mining. He said leaseholders and contractors had been given one week to remove heavy machinery from the mining areas, warning that the machinery would be seized if it was not removed within the deadline. He noted that magistrates had previously seized machinery and imposed fines of Rs30,000, while the law provides for a fine of Rs500,000, and said the matter would be investigated.
The governor said the scale of the illegal activity was vast, with 8,350 tractors and tractor-trolleys, 1,730 heavy dumpers and a large workforce being used in illegal mining. He said Kohat had mineral blocks C and D, and that one mining block had been leased for Rs4.92 billion, underlining the value of the resources at stake.
Governor Kundi said the proceeds of illegal mining were being used for terrorism and against Pakistan. He said elements involved in the illegal trade paid extortion money to terrorists and took protection from them, linking the unlawful extraction of minerals directly to the security situation in the province.
The governor said the province’s resources had been plundered over the past 13 years and that minerals were held in trust for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said peace was the top priority and there was no room for defeat in the fight against terrorism. He added that he had attended an important conference in Islamabad two days earlier, where the security situation was discussed.
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