An emergency meeting of Chitral Mines and Minerals Association was held.

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15 members of the core committee participated in the meeting chaired by Liaquat.

PESHAWAR:(Report by Fatima Jafar) According to global times news agency Europe,an emergency meeting of the Chitral Mines and Minerals Association was held at 11 am in the association’s office, chaired by President Mr. Liaquat. The meeting was attended by 15 core committee members.The meeting undertook detailed deliberations on the ongoing ban on mining in the Ursoon(Lower Chitral) area, the enforcement of forced sworn statements from leaseholders not to do mining, and the resulting challenges these actions have caused.Members expressed concerns that despite the prolonged regional conflict, Chitral has historically remained free from terrorist activities. They highlighted that the border area is now secure, and actively guarded by our strong forces.Closing business and employment opportunities in otherwise peaceful areas could bolster the ambitions of adversaries. Despite the Cold War between Afghanistan, Russia, and America from 1979 to 2020, which lasted 40 years, Chitral remained peaceful despite its proximity to the conflict. The emergence of a stable government in Afghanistan now highlights the region’s capacity to remain unaffected by prolonged regional tensions.Currently, a peaceful and sustainable government has been established in Afghanistan, where mining activities are proceeding smoothly. Chinese investors have invested millions of dollars in the Afghan mining sector and are actively overseeing the operations.The current situation in Chitral, with the non-renewal of EL-04 licenses under the guise of security risks, has led to significant apprehensions within the mining community. Leaseholders and investors are deeply concerned, and there is widespread public anxiety due to the resulting business closures.In Chitral’s history, there has never been an incident of explosives being smuggled to Afghanistan or elsewhere. Given this track record, banning mining on the grounds of security, along with the non-issuance of NOCs and cancellation of gunpowder licenses, is seen as incomprehensible. Additionally, there is no requirement for a working NOC elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,moreover there no requirement of NOC from any authority as per kpk mineral act,.The granted leases in ursoon ( Lower Chitral) and border areas are located in protected and secured zones, from the border. Leaseholders have invested billions of rupees in developing these mines, including constructing access roads and delivering machinery. Even if mining activities are halted, leaseholders are obligated to pay Rs 5,000 per hour for the use of heavy machinery according to their agreements. The ban on mining has led to leaseholders incurring daily losses amounting to millions of rupees. They are forced to pay for their labor without compensation. Due to Chitral’s climatic and geographical conditions, mining can only be conducted from May to October. Unfortunately, mining operations have been halted during this critical season for the past two years.All members unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the District Administration immediately lift the mining ban, issue NOCs, and renew EL-04 licenses to address their concerns. They also collectively requested the Army Chief and the Corps Commander Peshawar to ensure that Chitral district leaseholders are granted EL-04 licenses, NOCs, and that the ban on mining in the border areas with existing leases be removed.

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