HARIPUR: Leaders of political parties, social activists and villagers here on Thursday demonstrated against a mining leasein Pharhari village and warned they would stage street protests if the lease wasn’t withdrawn.

Led by former minister Qazi Mohammad Asad Khan, former MPA Dr Faia Rasheed, PPP divisional leader Jehanzeb Khan Tanoli and social activist Irum Fatima, the protesters marched on GT Road from the District Secretariat to Siddiq-i-Akbar Chowk.

They carried banners and placards and shouted slogans highlighting the environmental and social impact of the lease.

The speakers said the hilly areas of 800 kanals surrounding their village were unlawfully leased out by the mine and minerals department for excavating stone.

They said the department has totally ignored the environmental laws and leased out the hilly land which would leave a disastrous impact on the health, livelihood sources of the local population besides damaging the natural water sources, grazing areas and the forestland.

The climatic impact had already wreaked havoc to the natural resources in the country and efforts were being made to protect mother nature but mine and mineral department’s officials of KP who were politically influenced have ignored the disastrous results of their decision, the protesters added sharing the future impacts of the excavation.

They termed the lease a politically motivated act and criticised the local elected representatives for their failure in protecting the rights of the people of Haripur.

The protesters warned they would block excavation if the lease was not cancelled.

The political leaders met deputy commissioner Shauzab Abbas, who said he had already written to the KP Environment Protection Agency for a detailed report and banned all excavation activity in the area.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2025