PESHAWAR: Owners of a mining company have expressed concern over delay in allotment of lease of a mine in Mohmand tribal district despite fulfilling all the requirements and demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and chief minister to take notice of the misuse of powers by the officials of mines and mineral development department at the Fata secretariat.

Talking to mediapersons here on Saturday, a group of elders from Mohmand tribal district led by Malik Ali Akbar and Malik Ali Rehman said they had fulfilled all the requirements, including necessary documentation submitted to the department concerned for agreement in 2011, but the lease of mine was yet to be allotted to the company.

They said they had also paid the required fee to the department in 2016, but the officials were reluctant to announce the agreement of a mine located at Chinaray area of Mohmand district.

The complainants said another applicant, Imran Khan, had also submitted application for the purpose which was accepted but the application of their company was delayed.

The officials, they said were also reluctant to tell them the reason for delay in allotment of the lease, thus wasting their precious time and resources as well.

They said they also held a demonstration outside the Fata secretariat on Warsak Road on Friday to record their complaints but no one took notice of their requests.

They added that the relevant officials had some underhand deal with another party which was sheer injustice with them.

Malik Ali Akbar said his company was the first to have submitted the required fee and documents for the lease but it was denied the contract for unknown reasons.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2018