BAJAUR: Elders of minerals-rich Kamangra locality of Bajaur tribal district on Monday urged the administration to not issue further mining leases to the outsiders and cancel the ones having already been issued to the non-locals without delay.

They made the demand during a meeting with deputy commissioner Mohammad Fayyaz Khan. The elders showed their displeasure over the decision of the provincial minerals department to award mining leases in the area to outsiders without taking them on board.

The elders told the deputy commission that issuing mining leases to non-locals was in violation of the provincial government’s mining policy to take the locals onboard before issuing such agreements in the tribal districts.

However, they pointed out neither the minerals department nor the district administration had taken the local residents into confidence before issuing mining leases.

The elders, including Malik Abdullah Jan, Mohammad Jalil, Rehmat Wali, Syed Habib, Ishaq Khan, Anwar Ali Khan and Mohammad Subhan said they had frequently raised the issue with officials of the administration and also organised a number of protest demonstrations over the issue during the last several weeks, but neither the minerals department nor the district administration paid any heed.

DC Fayyaz Khan termed the elders’ concerns valid and assured them that the administration would follow the provincial government’s mining policy and would not award mining leases to anyone without consent of the locals.

He said he would also convey their concerns to the officials of the mineral department. Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2021