Peshawar:
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government published a white paper on the 2025 bill on Tuesday proposed on the main characteristics and objectives of the legislation.
The chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said that no power of the provincial government was transferred under proposed legislation, calling for the opposition to the reforms of the result of “false ideas”.
He said that an acquired interest mafia could resist personal gain changes.
Meanwhile, according to the white paper, the proposed changes aim to harmonize mineral laws with those of other provinces and the federal government, attract national and international investments on a large scale and improve transparency thanks to a digital operating system.
Meanwhile, a mineral investment facilitation authority would be established, and mineral securities and license procedures would be rationalized by digitization.
Under the legislation, the term license has been reduced to three years to facilitate the acquisition of the lease, and an independent court of appeal will be trained to ensure impartial and timely justice.
The ministry will also be required to develop a geological database. A special force would be formed to slow down illegal exploitation by confiscation of machines and more strict sanctions.
Existing leases and pending requests will not remain affected by new legislation.
The investment limits will be clarified for merged districts, small -scale and craft mining.
“We have increased provincial income through political reforms in the mineral sector,” said Gandapur. “The illegal mining was underway for 76 years in Charsadda sites rich in gold, but no past government has tried to stop it.”
In a related development, Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI) trained a committee of three members to carry out an in-depth examination of the bill following concerns raised by party members and the opposition.
The committee is responsible for examining each clause, identifying ambiguities or defects and making recommendations to improve transparency, maintain provincial autonomy, respect public rights and ensure that the law serves a broader public interest.
