- 40 licences linked to ex-armymen cancelled.
- No army-affiliated bids among 500 new applications.
- Mining licences increased to 4,917 from 482 since 2010.
PESHAWAR: As political tensions and online claims escalate over alleged military involvement in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s mineral sector, official records tell a different story.
Government data shows that a total of 4,917 mining licences have been issued across the province, with only one granted to a military-linked entity, the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).
That single licence, issued in 2015, pertains to the Boya area of North Waziristan, a conflict-hit region where FWO has been active in reconstruction and development.
A senior security official disclosed that, over the past 18 months, the Pakistan Army facilitated the cancellation of nearly 40 mining licences held by retired military personnel and their immediate family members in a move aimed at addressing public concerns and reinforcing transparency.
This move was aimed at addressing public concerns and countering negative propaganda. Currently, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is reviewing more than 500 new mining licence applications, but the military or any military-affiliated institution has submitted none of these.
The security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the rightful ownership of mineral resources lies with the people of KP, and provincial policy should reflect this through transparency and fairness in licencing.
However, discrediting state institutions through baseless propaganda undermines national interest and distracts from real governance issues.”
In the current climate, where social media plays a powerful role in shaping public perception, it is essential to differentiate between verifiable facts and political rhetoric.
According to official data, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s mineral sector has seen significant expansion over the past decade, with 4,917 mineral titles granted and a steady rise in annual revenue, which reached a record Rs7.43 billion by mid-fiscal year 2024–2025.
However, experts are questioning whether the province is realising the full potential of its mineral wealth.
According to official records of the Mineral Development Department (March 2025), KP had only 482 mineral titles in 2010, a number that increased sharply to 1,762 by 2020, and then 3,962 by February 2024.
As of now, 4,917 licences have been granted — 4,133 in settled districts and 784 in merged districts, and 125 were issued before the merger.
However, record revealed that the revenue was just Rs2.17 billion in 2016–2017, Rs1.91 billion in 2017-18, Rs2.18 billion in 2018-19, Rs3.24 billion in 2019-20, Rs5.08 billion in 2020-21, Rs6.14 billion in 2021-22, Rs6.37 billion in 2022-23.
The department’s income grew gradually to Rs6.4 billion in 2023–2024, with a notable jump to Rs7.43 billion in the current fiscal year, though this still falls short when compared to KP’s estimated reserves worth hundreds of billions of rupees.
