PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday promulgated an ordinance wherein ban on mining and award of mine leases was lifted and the use of explosives for mining was prohibited.
Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Minister for Minerals Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli announced the new legislation at a joint press conference at the Chief Minister’s House. Senior Minister Sikandar Khan Sherpao and chief minister’s special assistant Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani and Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Jamshedudin Kakakhel were also present on the occasion.
Before announcing details of the new legislation, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said there was no proper system and policy for minerals and KP was the first to notify its mineral policy. From today onward, he said, the people would get on line information on minerals.
“We also amended rules to improve existing system and it will enhance our province’s revenue up to Rs2 billion from Rs1.2 billion,” he said, adding they would introduce scientific monitoring system to abolish the ongoing checking of trucks on roads. The search and checking of trucks, he said, would be conducted on mine sites instead of roads for which mobile squads would be recruited.
Pervez Khattak said the promulgation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Development & Regulation Ordinance 2016 would bring improvement as strict punishment had been announced for the violators. Before this, he said, the 1948 Act was enforced.
He announced to establish Gems and Geological and Mineral Institution to properly highlight 71 kinds of minerals in the province. He said negotiations were being held with different institutions to promote and improve various mines and minerals and train officials. The provincial government, he added, would provide heavy and modern machinery for excavation to save the wastage of precious minerals.
“The government will establish facilitation authority for mineral investment under the new law. Besides chairman standing committee, one member each of the government and opposition will be member of this authority,” he said
He said the government would establish a mining system on international pattern to end nepotism and discretionary powers. He said the Area Limitation would be reviewed so that more and more people could get business opportunities. He added work will be initiated on a project to discover precious mines from Chitral to Hazara at a cost of Rs150 millions.
To a question, the chief minister said he had neither interfered in the affairs of the Ehtesab Commission nor had any concern with the case of Ziaullah Afridi. He said baseless allegations were being levelled against him. “I have never seen the files from the Ehtesab Commission. I kept away from the mines affairs and the Ehtesab Commission,” he stressed.
The chief minister said his government’s policy on Afghan refugees was clear. “We hosted Afghan refugees for the last 38 years and want their honourable repatriation now. He noted that the federal government had signed agreement with international organisations under which the registered Afghan refugees could remain in Pakistan for a specific time.
He said the registration of the refugees would start in October and the Interior Ministry would release funds for the purpose.
“Refugees living here under the agreement would not be harassed or arrested. A procedure would be adopted for Afghan refugees doing business and they could continue their business under a proper law,” he said.
