KP Governor Kundi announces suspension of gold mining across province

Governor Faisal Karim Kundi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province declared a ban on gold mining throughout the region on Saturday, along with the cancellation of all existing mining leases, in an effort to combat illegal mining. Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, Kundi expressed his outrage over the recent attack in Kohat, which left ten police officers dead while they were on an operation aimed at curbing illegal mining in the area.

He assured the public that a decisive operation would be carried out against the perpetrators of the attack, as well as those who facilitated it, as part of the government's future strategy. Kundi emphasized that there would be "zero tolerance" for anyone involved in this illicit activity. The governor instructed mining leaseholders to remove their heavy machinery from the designated areas within a week, warning that if the machinery was not removed by then, the authorities would seize it.

Moreover, the fines imposed this time would not be restricted to the previous range of Rs25,000 or Rs30,000, as magistrates had set, but could potentially go up to Rs2 million under the law. Kundi also revealed that an investigation was underway to determine why fines had not been imposed in line with the law. Furthermore, he stated that any politicians or individuals from other institutions found to be involved in illegal mining would face punishment as per the law.