MANSEHRA: The Torghar district administration has sealed the coal mines that did not comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the provincial government in the remote Kunhar Hassanzai tehsil here.

Speaking to reporters, Kunhar Hassanzai assistant commissioner Jamil Hussain Shah said a team led by him sealed the mines after the owners failed to produce legal documents.

“We cannot allow a handful of mine owners to exploit natural resources while putting the lives of workers at risk and failing to meet legal requirements,” he said.

Former district nazim Dilroz Khan said four to five mines were operating in the area and providing employment to residents.

Two drown in Kunhar River in Mansehra

“The district administration will not seal the mines if the owners meet legal requirements and comply with the SOPs set by the government,” he said.

“Human lives are more precious than revenue,” Mr Khan said.

He asked the government to regularise gold mining from the Indus River, saying Torghar lacked adequate civic amenities and lagged in development.

He said that people earned their livelihoods through gold mining in the Indus River and the excavation of coal and other minerals in parts of the district, and that the government should regulate these activities as a priority.

TWO DROWN: Two youth drowned in Kunhar River in the Jagar area of Gari Habibullah here on Saturday.

“We have fished out the bodies and shifted them to a nearby health facility,” a Rescue 1122 official told reporters.

He said Mohammad Kamran and Salahuddin were swimming in Kunhar River when torrents swept them away.

The rescue official said the district administration had banned swimming in rivers and streams during the monsoon season.

He said Rescue 1122 had also deployed its personnel along rivers and streams in Siran and Kaghan valleys to keep tourists and residents at bay.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2026