PESHAWAR: Frontier Mine Owners Association (FMOA) has rejected the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation Ordinance, 2016 and demanded of the provincial government to enforce the previous policy.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, FMOA president Sher Bandi Khan Marwat said that members of the association would go on strike if government didn’t accept their demand.

He said that the mineral policy of 2014 was prepared in consensus with mine owners. It was beneficial not only for the government but also for the people associated with the mine sector, he added.

Ask provincial govt to enforce policy of 2014

Mr Marwat said that the mineral policy of 2016 was in violation of basic human rights because renewal of lease was completely stopped. According to the ordinance, developed mine project would be handed over to mine and mineral development department free of cost, which would be auctioned by the department to the highest bidder, he added.

The FMOA leader said that the lease holders would not be able to assign the lease to their heirs or other parties. The law had created for hurdles for local and foreign investors, he alleged.

He said that the ordinance had completely banned joint ventures and sub-contractors and a new lease holder would not be able to supply minerals to the market during the protesting period.

Mr Marwat said that only rich mine owners were happy with the new policy. He said that the rights of small scale mine owners were ignored in the ordinance.

Flanked by Haji Hidayatullah Khan, FMOA senior vice president Ghulam Haider, general secretary Haji Abdul Jalil, deputy general secretary Haji Wazir Mohammad, Hazara division president Rasheed Khan, Mr Marwat said that the representative of the association had called on the provincial minister for mines and minerals department, who assured them of removing their reservations over the ordinance.

He also demanded of lawmakers to oppose the ordinance in the provincial assembly and don’t let it become a law.

The mine owners threatened to block roads and stop supply of mines to the market besides staging sit-ins outside provincial assembly building if their demands were not met.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2016