August 19, 2008	Tuesday	Sha’aban 16, 1429

KOHAT, Aug 18: The local Taliban have resolved an old dispute among different sub-tribes of Darra Adamkhel over distribution of royalty from the Akhorwal coal mines and opened the mines for production after three years, official sources said on Monday.

Coal transportation began from the mines where the Akhorwal tribe has a share of Rs700 per ton in the royalty.

The mining company on the first day loaded 22 trucks from the mines, which have a capacity of producing 70 trucks per day.

Stakeholders suffered a loss of Rs450 million during the closure of the mines and the tribesmen remained deprived of their Rs60 million share in royalty.

The dispute had been lingering since 2006 when work at the mines was forcibly stopped by two sub-clans of the Akhorwal tribe.

The work had first been suspended in 2003. It was resumed in 2006 after a fresh agreement between all the parties, but only for a few months.

Now the three sub-clans of Akhorwal-Blakikhel, Gadiakhel and Pirwalkhel will get an equal share from the profit.

Criticising what they called hypocrisy of policy makers, the tribesmen regretted that on the one hand the government was promising security and offering incentives to foreign investors and on the other, it was doing nothing for local investors.

An elder of the Akhorwal tribe said the area where huge coal reserves had been discovered could become a hub of business, which would benefit local tribesmen. He said the people would open hotels, shops and build houses in the mines area, which spread over miles, and earn their livelihood in an honourable manner.

He alleged that some vested interests wanted that the tribesmen to continue committing crimes, smuggling drugs and arms.

Before suspension of work, the miners used to pay Rs37,000 a day to the tribe comprising five sub-clans, Rs7,000 to the political administration and Rs11,000 to the mineral department.