Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province announced a mining suspension and gold-lease cancellations after a Kohat clash killed 10 police officers, as Gov. Faisal Karim Kundi alleged illegal extraction helped fund militants, Gulf News reported.
Gulf News said Kundi announced Saturday that all mining across the province would stop and gold leases would be canceled, citing Geo News. The announced order gave leaseholders and contractors seven days to clear heavy equipment from mining sites.
The clash followed a security operation involving police and local authorities at Darabo Kach, near Kohat, aimed at illegal gold extraction. Gulf News reported that militants attacked officers as they returned from the operation. Authorities put the death toll at 10 police officers and 18 militants.
Kundi estimated that Kohat was producing about 90 kilograms of gold each month, valued at Rs4.2 billion. He alleged that close to 80% of the proceeds flowed to Afghanistan. Gulf News said the claims had not been independently verified.
Kundi said illegal operators paid armed groups to be allowed to keep mining, and that the money financed terrorism and other activity against Pakistan. He said the extraction involved thousands of tractors, heavy dumpers and laborers.
He questioned the economics of a reported 10-year lease priced at Rs4.92 billion, comparing that figure with his estimate that a month's gold output was worth Rs4.2 billion.
Gulf News said it had not independently corroborated Kundi's claim of political backing.
Kundi said he had formed a judicial commission to examine illegal mining and the Kohat clash. He also approved a special task force that will bear DSP Haidar Zaman's name; Zaman was among the officers killed. Kundi's announcement gave leaseholders and contractors a seven-day period to clear heavy equipment from mining sites, Gulf News reported.
