The Standing Committee on Minerals of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday ordered a detailed review of mineral leases across the province and constituted a subcommittee to investigate discrepancies in lease allocation and land ownership records.
The meeting, chaired by committee chairman and MPA Ikramullah Ghazi at the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, reviewed the Minerals Department’s progress in implementing directives issued during its previous meeting and examined the department’s overall performance.
Committee Members and Attendees
Committee members Muhammad Yamin Khan, Ahmad Karim Kundi, Zubair Khan, Shehla Bano and Sobia Shahid attended the session, while Arbab Usman participated via video link. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary for Minerals, senior departmental officials and representatives of the Forest, Revenue and Law departments, the Advocate General’s Office and the Provincial Assembly Secretariat.
Department Briefing and Concerns Raised
Briefing the committee, the Secretary for Minerals outlined the department’s ongoing initiatives and progress in implementing earlier recommendations. During the meeting, Ahmad Karim Kundi raised questions regarding mineral leases, Guzara, Reserved and Protected Areas, prompting a detailed discussion on legal and administrative issues relating to mining operations.
Expressing concern over the department’s performance, Ikramullah Ghazi noted that only about 2,000 of the province’s nearly 4,000 mineral leases were currently operational, while 765 had been cancelled. Officials attributed the cancellations to security challenges, restrictions on the use of explosives in mining operations and legal disputes involving forest land.
Dissatisfaction with Explanations
However, committee members expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation. Zubair Khan also questioned cases in which mining leases had allegedly been issued to individuals other than the recorded landowners. Taking notice of the issue, the committee constituted a subcommittee headed by Zubair Khan, with Muhammad Yamin Khan and Sobia Shahid as members.
Subcommittee Mandate
The subcommittee has been tasked with conducting a comparative review of records maintained by the Forest and Minerals departments relating to Guzara, Reserved and Protected Areas. It will also examine the process for issuing mineral leases, review cancelled leases and assess the losses allegedly incurred by affected companies before submitting its findings to the Standing Committee.
Directives for Future Legislation
Concluding the meeting, Ikramullah Ghazi directed the Minerals and Forest departments to ensure that the views of landowners were adequately reflected in future legislation governing the minerals sector. He also instructed officials to present complete records and accurate data at the committee’s next meeting.
