KOHAT: The illegal extraction of placer gold from the Indus River here goes on unchecked.

Several groups have pitched tents and deployed centrifugal equipment at a larger level at the riverbanks to carry out their illegal activity.

Kohat Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Rasheed Paracha lamented that the district was being robbed of its mineral wealth as gold thieves and black sheep in the mineral department connived.

He said if the government installed plants along the river for mining gold it could generate billions of dollars enabling the country to get rid of hefty foreign loans.

Meanwhile, an official of the mineral department confided to Dawn that no one could make constructions or do any kind of business activity within the 60 feet area from the riverbank.

He said that the placer gold referred to gold that had broken loose from the main deposit due to weather and erosion. “It can be found close to or far from the original gold layer, depending on various factors.”

An ancient technique of panning is used at a smaller level. Miners would place a few handfuls of gold-bearing soil or gravel along with a large amount of water into a pan. By spinning the contents of the pan, they wash away lighter material, leaving behind the gold and heavier materials.

A local elder, Shafique Mohammad, said that the practice started six years ago in the town of Shakardarra.

An official at the Gumbat police station told Dawn on contact that a man from the Jand area claimed that as per the revenue record he was the owner of the 300 acres of riverbank.

The official said the man had ‘leased’ the area to the so-called gold miners.

The official said gold mining continued as everyone had their share in the business.

Recently, the mineral department had filed FIRs against the accused and arrested some of them, but they were released.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025