The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced a decisive ban on illegal gold mining activities in four key districts, tightening enforcement to protect the province’s natural resources and curb environmental damage. The ban, affecting Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, and adjacent riverbank areas, was imposed under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, making all unauthorised gold mining operations immediately illegal.
Officials from the KP Home and Minerals Departments stressed that the move is aimed at safeguarding public safety, preserving ecological balance, and preventing losses to the provincial exchequer from unregulated extraction. Under the ban, violators face prosecution under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which includes penalties such as fines, imprisonment, and confiscation of equipment.
The decision follows months of large-scale crackdowns and legal actions against unauthorised mining along the banks of the Indus and Kabul rivers, hotspots for placer gold extraction that have seen increasing violations. Recent operations in Kohat resulted in the registration of dozens of cases against illegal miners, and authorities seized excavators and other equipment used in unlawful activities.
Environmental and community groups have long warned that unrestricted gold mining in riverbeds disrupts ecosystems, erodes riverbanks, and pollutes water systems vital to local populations. Experts also note that such practices undermine fair economic growth by sidestepping formal leasing and royalty processes.
This regulatory shift comes amid broader efforts to modernise KP’s mining sector. The provincial government is actively consulting stakeholders on legislative reforms and frameworks designed to attract transparent investment and ensure sustainable use of resources. These include proposals to digitalise licensing and establish specialised enforcement units for illegal mining control.
In parallel with provincial initiatives, Pakistan is also engaging in international cooperation to enhance mineral development and regulatory oversight, such as recent agreements to strengthen mining sector collaboration with France, which could bring technology and investment to formalised mineral extraction projects.
With the ban now in effect, authorities say they will continue monitoring hotspots and take stringent action to dismantle illegal mining networks threatening both the economy and environment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
