K-P governor says new policy for gold mining would be introduced within three weeks
K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi addressing a press conference on the Kohat incident in Peshawar. Photo: Screengrab
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said illegal gold mining in Kohat was linked to terrorism, with 80 per cent of the proceeds going to Afghanistan, and named several politicians whom he accused of being involved in the activity.
Addressing a press conference on the Kohat incident on Saturday, Kundi said the province had completed one month under emergency measures and that maintaining law and order was its top priority.
“We will try to move towards improvement,” he said, adding that the government would not allow anyone to “loot our resources”.
The governor said a minerals conference held in Islamabad had been successful, adding that “K-P had significant mineral reserves.” He said the “province would seek an agreement on minerals better than the one involving Reko Diq, and invited the international community to invest in its mineral resources.”
He said that propaganda against mining by some people was preventing the province from progressing. He also said the government had “burnt its boats” in the fight against terrorism and that an accountability system would now apply to everyone, regardless of whether they were “political or non-political figures.”
Kundi said an operation had been “underway against illegal gold mines in Kohat” when those seeking to end illegal occupation encountered militants. He alleged that there was a “nexus between the mafia and terrorists” and vowed to bring those involved in illegal occupation to justice.
He said illegal excavators were present at the site of the Kohat incident, adding that “3,000 excavators, 1,600 dumpers and 200 heavy loaders” had been in use. Around “49,000 people were working in mining, he said, while Rs4.2 billion was being taken from gold mines every month.”
The governor added that “80 per cent of the money generated through mining was going to Afghanistan and that the proceeds were being used to finance terrorism against Pakistan.” He further said that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was receiving money from gold mining in Kohat and that Afghan commanders were collecting extortion payments.
Read: Kohat raid on gold miners ambushed
He named former law minister “Aftab Alam, Sheryar Afridi, Khurram Zeeshan, Amjad Afridi and the brother of former chief minister Sohail Afridi among those who were involved in illegal mining.” He claimed that “12 politicians were involved in the activity” and said political figures had also been implicated in the Kohat incident.
Kundi announced that the “provincial government had decided to suspend all gold mining leases.” Contractors involved in gold mining had been directed to “leave the province within a week,” he said, warning that strict action would be taken against them after the deadline.
He said a “new policy for gold mining would be introduced within three weeks” and that action against those involved in illegal mining would be intensified. He also said, “90 kilogrammes of gold had been extracted illegally in a single month.”
The governor said the provincial government had decided to establish a task force in the name of the police deputy superintendent of police (DSP) martyred in the Kohat incident. Police, district administration officials and other individuals would be part of the force, which would work against illegal mining.
He also announced a decision to establish a judicial commission to investigate the Kohat incident. An operation would be launched against those responsible for the deaths of 10 personnel, he said, adding that the group which attacked the police would not be spared.
Read more: Kohat Police Lines blast kills 21, including 15 police personnel
Kundi said the country and the province could no longer be run under a “doctrine of necessity”, adding that the 13-year era had ended.
Meanwhile, the provincial minerals adviser said placer gold entered rivers through their “natural flow from Gilgit and other areas.” He said that money from mining had been reaching criminal elements and terrorist organisations.
The adviser said blocks A, B and D were involved in the process in October 2024. He also cited contracts worth “Rs1.2 billion in Tarbela, Rs1.3 billion near Attock and Rs1.11 billion in Kohat.”
Kohat raid on gold miners ambushed
On Wednesday, at least 11 police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and a sub-inspector, were martyred and 12 others were injured when terrorists ambushed a police party conducting an operation against an illegal gold mining network in Kohat.
According to a statement issued by the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Peshawar, the Kohat police had launched a major operation against an illegal gold mining network allegedly operating through a nexus between terrorists and criminal elements.
During the operation, terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij – a term used for the terrorists belonging to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – launched a surprise attack on the police contingent in the Dar Bokach area, falling within the jurisdiction of Gumbat Police Station in Kohat.
