Pakistan halts gold mining, alleges terror funding after 10 policemen killed

Pakistan has suspended all gold mining activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after allegations emerged that billions of rupees generated from illegal mining were being used to fund terrorism. The governor of the province, Faisal Karim Kundi, claimed that around 90 kilos of gold worth Rs4.2 billion is extracted monthly in the Kohat district, with nearly 80% of the profits going to Afghanistan.

The allegations came days after a deadly clash during an operation against illegal mining left 10 policemen and 18 militants dead. Kundi ordered the suspension of mining operations and the cancellation of all mining leases, giving leaseholders seven days to remove heavy machinery from the affected areas. He alleged that illegal mining operators pay protection money to militant groups, which is then used to finance terrorism.

The governor also accused 12 political figures of supporting the Kohat incident, though no police cases have been registered against them. Kundi has formed a judicial commission to investigate illegal mining and the incident, and set up a special task force named after one of the killed policemen. The investigation will now need to establish whether the revenue from illegal gold mining indeed finds its way to militant groups.