PESHAWAR: An accountability court has summoned 15 accused persons including a private contractor and 14 present and former officers of mines and mineral department in a reference accusing them of inflicting a loss of Rs740.878 million to exchequer through illegal mining of phosphate in Abbottabad.

Judge Mohammad Hamid Mughal fixed July 11 for hearing of the reference, recently filed by National Accountability Bureau, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, against a contractor Zar Gul, who is prime accused, former secretary of mines Asmatullah Khan Gandapur, former directors general of mines Shakirullah and Hameedullah Shah, former director licensing Mustapha Kamal Shah and 11 other officers of the department.

The reference, filed under sections 18 (g) and 24 (b) of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, was submitted to court by investigation officer Enayatullah Khan.

The bureau alleged that Zar Gul, in league with officers of mines and mineral department, committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices/misuse of authority regarding illegal excavation of 175,258 metric tonnes of phosphate from Kakul Guzara Forest, Abbottabad, in violation of Mines and Forest Rules, and caused loss to the exchequer.

NAB claims accused inflicted Rs740 million loss to exchequer

According to NAB, the investigation revealed that Kakul Guzara Forest was reserved to meet the requirements of landowners and right-holders, but owners were not allowed to cut down trees for their own use or take away forest products without permission of the forest department under the rules.

It stated that Zar Gul had filed application for a prospecting licence (PL) on Feb 21, 2005, which was rejected by Mineral Titles Committee (MTC) in a meeting on April 24, 2006 as the area was reserved for open auction.

Against that order, the bureau stated, the accused preferred an appeal to the secretary of mines department, who also rejected it on Dec 11, 2006.

It said that the accused then filed a petition in Peshawar High Court for getting a licence in the Kakul Guzara Forest. It added that the court disposed of the petition with the direction that the petitioner should be provided an opportunity of hearing.

The bureau stated that after the petitioner was provided opportunity of hearing, he was directed to participate in the auction proceedings, but he instead filed a contempt petition in the high court to pressurise the department.

The bureau alleged that instead of contesting the contempt plea, the then director general of mines, who was hand-in-glove with the prime accused, wrote a letter to him, stating that if he withdrew the petition, his request for grant of a PL over an area of 86.83 acres would be accepted.

The reference stated that the accused then withdrew his contempt plea and resultantly the said area was granted to him. The reference provides detail of multiple litigations between the prime accused, locals and the department.

It claimed that Zar Gul had illegally excavated phosphate in the Guzara Forest in violation of an NOC granted by the forest/environment department wherein it was mentioned that ‘forest conservancy must be ensured strictly within the confines of Forest Ordinance.”

The bureau alleged that the accused despite several notices of forest department for violation of Section 44 of Forest Ordinance, 2002, excavated 175,258 metric tonnes phosphate from 2010 to 2025 in the Kakul Guzara Forest.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2026