ISLAMABAD (Pakistan News): Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the highest number of mineral licences in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were issued during the provincial governments led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Khawaja Asif said that only 482 mineral licences and titles had been issued in the province from the establishment of Pakistan until 2010.
According to him, the number increased significantly during PTI’s provincial governments. The total reached 1,762 by 2020, rose to 3,962 by February 2024 and has now reached 4,917. Of these, 4,133 licences were issued in settled districts and 784 in merged districts.
The defence minister clarified that during this entire period, only one mineral licence was issued to the military-affiliated Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). The licence was granted in 2015 for the Boya area of North Waziristan. He said the FWO had been engaged in construction and rehabilitation work there.
Khawaja Asif further revealed that applications for more than 500 new mineral licences were under consideration, none of which had been submitted by a military institution.
He said a large number of mineral licences had been issued during PTI’s tenure, while military institutions had not played a direct role in the sector.