PESHAWAR: The elders of Daulatkhel tribe have accused the leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Qaumi Watan Party of supporting illegal excavation of precious mines and minerals in Charsadda district.
Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, they demanded of the authorities to hold impartial inquiry into illegal excavation of mines in the district.
Led by retired Captain Hamid Kamal, the Daulatkhel elders including Bakht Biland Khan, Owais Khan, Jawad Khan, Syed Hamid Shah and others said that chromate, asbestos and jade were stolen through illegal excavation but no action was taken against the people involved in the illegal practice.
Mr Kamal said that the excavators, busy in illegal exaction of mines in Dobandi, and Bahram Dehri areas of Tangi tehsil were enjoying support of some leaders of PTI and QWP.
He appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice of the loss of natural resources and order an impartial inquiry into the case to recover the looted money from the corrupt elements.
Mr Kamal claimed that the practice had inflicted huge financial losses on provincial exchequer. He said that chromate worth Rs400 billion, asbestos worth Rs500 billion and jade worth billions of rupees were taken away through illegal excavation.
He said that illegal excavation had been started in the district during the government of former president Pervez Musharraf and action was also taken against some people but the practice was still continued.
He said that a petition was also submitted with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission about massive corruption in the mining sector in Charsadda but no action was taken against the people involved in the illegal practice.
Mr Kamal said that authorities had decided to set up a police checkpost to stop illegal transportation of mineral but the plan was not materialised so far. He said that he had also sent a letter to PTI chairman Imran Khan about the partial role of KPEC. He expressed the hope that Imran Khan would take action against the corrupt people.
Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2016