DC KOHAT TIGHTENS NOOSE AROUND ILLEGAL GOLD MINERS; 5,000 TOLA ANNUAL GOLD EXTRACTION UNDER SCRUTINY, EXCAVATORS FLEE MINING SITES
60-day ban imposed on excavation machinery and open-container fuel sales; hundreds of vehicles and heavy equipment withdrawn from mining sites amid expanding police operations in Kohat and Karak
KOHAT, November 10, 2026 : The district administration of Kohat has intensified its crackdown on illegal placer gold mining along the Indus River, claiming to have cleared a 94-kilometre stretch during a major enforcement operation and arrested 21 people allegedly involved in unauthorized mining activities.
The operation comes as the administration tightens restrictions on excavation machinery and petroleum supplies, imposing a 60-day ban on the presence and parking of heavy machinery in designated mining areas and prohibiting the sale and supply of petroleum products in open containers to disrupt the logistical network supporting illegal gold extraction.
The crackdown, amid growing security concerns, violent disputes over lucrative gold-bearing riverbeds and mounting resistance to government enforcement operations, has reportedly prompted hundreds of excavators, tractors, pickup vehicles, motorcycles and other equipment to be withdrawn from mining sites in Shakardara, Rehman Abad and Khushal Garh.
Meanwhile, police have expanded enforcement operations against unauthorized gold mining into neighbouring Karak district, targeting various locations, including Turki Khel, Ghundi Mir Khan Khel and Daraki Banda.
The latest action signals an increasingly coordinated campaign by the district administrations and law enforcement agencies to curb illegal mineral extraction, protect public resources and restore the writ of the state in the affected areas.
According to local and official sources, an estimated 5,000 tolas of gold are allegedly extracted illegally from the Indus River bed every year through unauthorized placer mining, generating substantial financial returns for those involved. However, the estimated quantity and monetary value of the illegally extracted gold could not be independently verified and require confirmation from the relevant mining authorities and official production and revenue records.
Sources further claim that police registered approximately 1,800 to 2,000 FIRs during the financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27 in connection with violations of mining regulations and illegal extraction activities. More than Rs30 million has reportedly been recovered in fines from violators. These figures are yet to be independently verified through official police and departmental records.
In a further move to prevent unauthorized mining, Deputy Commissioner Kohat Muhammad Nawaz Wazir on Tuesday imposed restrictions under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) through two separate orders covering Block C, Block D and adjoining mining areas.
The orders prohibit the presence and parking of excavation machinery in specified locations and restrict the purchase, sale, transportation and supply of petroleum products in open containers, including bottles and gallons, to prevent their use in unauthorized mining operations.
The restrictions have taken immediate effect and will remain in force for 60 days.
According to the district administration, certain individuals and groups were allegedly keeping excavation machinery in residential localities and arranging petroleum supplies to facilitate illegal gold extraction, creating serious concerns regarding public order, security and the protection of state interests.
The Deputy Commissioner has warned that violations of the prohibitory orders will invite legal action under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The reported withdrawal of heavy machinery from several mining sites following the administration’s warning and proposed enforcement operations is being viewed as a significant development in the ongoing campaign. However, sustained surveillance will be required to prevent the equipment from being shifted to other locations and unauthorized excavation from resuming.
The latest enforcement measures follow a high-level meeting chaired by Commissioner Kohat Division Parvez Khan Sabat Khel at his office to review the situation arising from unauthorized placer gold mining along the Indus River.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Kohat Region Shakir Hussain Dawar, Deputy Commissioner Kohat Muhammad Nawaz Wazir, District Police Officer (DPO) Kohat Rai Mazhar Iqbal, representatives of the Mines and Minerals Department and officials of other relevant agencies attended the meeting.
The participants examined the continuing illegal mining activities in Shakardara and adjoining areas and discussed administrative, regulatory and security measures to prevent unauthorized extraction of gold.
The meeting emphasized that action against illegal mining should not remain confined to closing excavation sites but should also target the supply networks, particularly the provision of diesel and other petroleum products, sustaining unauthorized operations.
The management of Shakardara Mining Company was directed to submit a comprehensive operational plan by November 5, detailing security arrangements, operational procedures and measures to ensure compliance with the applicable legal and regulatory framework.
A special committee headed by the Commissioner Kohat Division and the RPO Kohat Region has also been constituted to supervise implementation of the decisions. The committee, comprising relevant administrative, police and mining officials, will meet every 15 days to assess enforcement measures, review security arrangements and monitor progress on the operational plan.
Following the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial administration has renewed its focus on controlling illegal placer gold mining in Kohat, Karak, Nowshera and Swabi districts.
According to well-placed official sources, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and the provincial administrative authorities have issued instructions to the relevant divisional and district administrations to take effective measures against unauthorized gold extraction and strengthen regulatory oversight of mining activities.
A high-level meeting was reportedly held at the provincial headquarters in Peshawar to formulate a coordinated strategy for addressing illegal mining in the four districts, where unauthorized extraction from the Indus River and adjoining areas has continued despite repeated administrative restrictions.
The provincial government is reportedly seeking stronger coordination among district administrations, police, the Mines and Minerals Department and other relevant institutions to prevent illegal excavation, protect mineral resources and restore the writ of the state.
For the regulation and commercial extraction of placer gold from the Indus River, the mining belt was divided into four designated blocks, A, B, C and D, which were reportedly auctioned in October 2024 for ten-year leases.
The four blocks cover different stretches of the Indus River across Swabi, Nowshera and Kohat districts.
According to available information, the auction details are as follows:
• Block A: Extends from Tarbela Dam to the M-1 Motorway in Swabi district and was reportedly auctioned to Globe Core Metal for Rs1.250 billion.
• Block B: Covers the stretch from the M-1 Motorway to Nizampur in Nowshera district and was reportedly awarded to MIGCO for Rs1.260 billion.
• Block C: Located in Tehsil Gumbat, Kohat district, and was reportedly awarded to Himalayan Earth Exploration Company for Rs1.310 billion.
• Block D: Covers the Shakardara mining belt towards Mianwali in Kohat district and was reportedly awarded to Imtiaz Qureshi, a former provincial law minister, for Rs1.111 billion.
The combined reported auction value of the four blocks stands at approximately Rs4.931 billion.
According to available information, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated an inquiry in October 2024 into alleged irregularities and corruption in the auction process, following which mining activities were suspended in October 2025.
The allegations and outcome of the inquiry require clarification through official NAB records. No conclusion regarding the existence or absence of embezzlement can be drawn without the findings of the relevant investigation.
The government subsequently restored the auction arrangement for Block D in favour of Imtiaz Qureshi on October 28, 2025, according to information available to this correspondent.
The status of the remaining blocks and the legal position of their respective lease arrangements also warrant clarification from the provincial Mines and Minerals Department.
Kohat, a district endowed with significant reserves of oil, gas and other mineral resources, has increasingly faced serious law-and-order challenges associated with the lucrative business of placer gold extraction from the Indus River.
According to local sources, gold mining activities began on a relatively small scale in 2020-21 around Khushal Garh in Tehsil Gumbat, near the Punjab border.
The activity subsequently expanded to Rehman Abad and Shakardara in Tehsil Lachi, attracting local residents, miners from other southern districts and influential individuals seeking to benefit from the increasingly profitable business.
Initially, mining activities were reportedly conducted under the supervision of the provincial Mines and Minerals Department through an auction-based mechanism. However, the situation became increasingly complicated after allegations of irregularities in the auction process prompted an accountability inquiry and the subsequent suspension of mining operations.
Despite the suspension and repeated imposition of Section 144 by the provincial government and district administration, unauthorized excavation reportedly continued at several locations along the river.
Over time, disputes over access to gold-bearing areas, control of excavation sites and financial interests allegedly intensified, drawing local groups, influential individuals and criminal elements into the business.
The absence of effective regulatory control reportedly contributed to growing tensions and confrontations over mining rights and territorial influence.
The deteriorating security situation became particularly alarming when a government convoy carrying Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Nawaz Wazir and other officials reportedly came under gunfire and heavy stone-pelting while returning from an operation against illegal gold mining in Block D along the Indus River.
The incident occurred in the Shakardara and Rehman Abad areas of Tehsil Lachi, where the administrative team had conducted an operation against unauthorized mining activities.
According to police sources, armed protesters intercepted the government convoy and resorted to firing and stone-pelting, creating a tense situation for the officials and security personnel accompanying the Deputy Commissioner.
The situation was eventually brought under control following negotiations between police officials and the protesters, allowing the convoy to return safely to Kohat.
Several government vehicles were reportedly damaged in the incident, although no government official was injured.
The attack exposed the serious security risks confronting administrative and law enforcement personnel tasked with enforcing mining regulations and highlighted the growing resistance to government operations in the affected areas.
The lucrative nature of illegal gold extraction has also raised concerns about recurring violence and armed rivalries in the region.
Local sources claim that more than two dozen people, including police personnel and government officials have lost their lives over the years in disputes and rivalries connected with gold mining activities along the Indus River.
However, the exact number of fatalities could not be independently verified, and official police records are required to establish the actual death toll and determine how many incidents were directly linked to mining disputes.
Similarly, sources have claimed that approximately 1,800 to 2,000 FIRs have been registered during the financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27 in connection with violations of mining regulations and illegal extraction activities.
More than Rs30 million has reportedly been recovered in fines from violators, although these figures require confirmation from the police and Mines and Minerals Department.
Allegations have also surfaced concerning the involvement of serving and former political figures, influential individuals and other powerful groups in unauthorized mining activities. These allegations remain unverified and warrant impartial investigation by the relevant authorities.
The latest restrictions on excavation machinery and open-container fuel supplies indicate that the district administration is now attempting to dismantle the logistical network supporting unauthorized gold extraction rather than relying solely on conventional raids and the closure of illegal mining sites.
The administration’s reported claim of clearing a 94-kilometre stretch and arresting 21 suspects, coupled with the withdrawal of hundreds of pieces of machinery and the expansion of police operations into Karak, suggests a significant escalation in enforcement efforts.
However, the administration’s challenge extends beyond imposing restrictions and registering cases. Effective implementation will require sustained police deployment, transparent enforcement, monitoring of fuel supplies, protection of government officials and impartial investigations into violence and disputes linked to mining operations.
Residents and local stakeholders have called for a comprehensive and transparent regulatory mechanism that protects the rights of local communities, prevents illegal extraction, ensures accountability and allows mineral resources to be developed through lawful procedures.
With the Indus River’s gold-bearing deposits attracting increasingly powerful commercial interests, the situation in Kohat has evolved from a mining-regulation issue into a serious administrative and law-and-order challenge.
The effectiveness of the latest crackdown will ultimately depend on the government’s ability to enforce its orders without discrimination, bring those involved in illegal activities to justice and ensure that the district’s valuable mineral resources are exploited only through transparent and legally sanctioned arrangements.
