Peshawar:
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government issued on Tuesday a white book on the proposed mines and mineral bill (amendment), which details the main characteristics and objectives of the legislation.
Prime Minister Ali Amin Gandapur clarified that powers of the provincial government were not transferred under the proposed legislation, calling the opposition to the reforms as a result of “wrong concepts.”
He said that a mafia with acquired interest may be resisting changes to obtain personal gains.
Meanwhile, according to the White Paper, the proposed amendments are aimed at harmonizing mineral laws with those of other provinces and the federal government, attracting national and international large -scale investments and improving transparency through a digital mining system.
Meanwhile, a mineral investment facilitation authority would be established, and mineral titles and license procedures would be simplified by digitalization.
According to the legislation, the term of license has been reduced to three years to relieve the acquisition of the lease, and an independent appeal court will be formed to guarantee impartial and timely justice.
The department will also be obliged to develop a geological database. A special force would be constituted to stop illegal mining through the confiscation of machinery and the strictest sanctions.
Existing leases and pending applications will not be affected by the new legislation.
The investment limits will be clarified for fused districts, already small -scale artisanal mining.
“We have increased provincial income through policy reforms in the mineral sector,” said Gandapur. “Illegal mining was ongoing for 76 years in places in Charsadda rich in gold, however, no previous government tried to stop it.”
In a related development, Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) has formed a three-members committee to carry out an exhaustive review of the bill after the concerns raised by the members of the party and the opposition.
The Committee has the task of reviewing each clause, identifying ambiguities or defects and making recommendations to improve transparency, defend provincial autonomy, respect public rights and ensure that the law serves the broader public interest.
