KP Governor Cancels Mineral Investment Plan

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has suspended all gold mining activities across the province and canceled existing mining leases, one month after inviting foreign companies to invest in the region's minerals. Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, Kundi stated that the decision aimed to combat illegal mining, which he alleged was funding terrorism.

One-week deadline for machinery removal Kundi ordered leaseholders and contractors to dismantle heavy machinery from mining sites within a week, threatening to seize any machinery left behind. He also announced that fines would now be imposed according to the law, replacing the previous penalties of Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 charged by magistrates.

Illegal mining in Kohat's Blocks C and D Kundi revealed that illegal mining in Kohat's Blocks C and D involved approximately 8,350 trucks, 3,660 excavators, 1,600 dumpers, and around 50,000 laborers, with an estimated 90 kilograms of gold extracted monthly. The profits, he claimed, were largely sent to Afghanistan for terrorist activities.

Attack and subsequent actions The ban follows a tragic attack in Kohat where a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and ten police personnel lost their lives while returning from an operation against illegal mining. Kundi named 12 politicians who allegedly supported the illicit mining operations. He also announced the formation of a judicial commission, headed by a retired Peshawar High Court judge, and a task force named after the martyred DSP Haider Zaman, tasked with developing a new mining strategy within three weeks.

From invitation to ban Kundi's ban on mining activities came after his invitation to foreign companies for mineral joint ventures in October, which he reiterated at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum in Islamabad on Thursday. The announcement concluded Kundi's efforts to curb illegal mining and reassess the province's mining strategy.