Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has ordered an inquiry into massive irregularities worth trillions of rupees in the auction of placer gold blocks along the banks of the Kabul and Indus rivers.
The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur after revelations of large-scale corruption in the gold mining process. An inquiry committee has been formed under the Adviser to the Chief Minister on Anti-Corruption. Members include the Chairman of the Provincial Inspection Team, the Advocate General, and retired engineer Fazal Raziq. The committee has been tasked with submitting its report within 15 days.
According to officials, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) earlier pointed out serious violations in the auction process. These include flawed feasibility studies, irregularities in reserve price determination, absence of NOCs, violations of environmental laws, unsafe use of mercury, subletting of leases, and failure to report revenue and sales data.
The Minerals Secretary, in his briefing, recommended an immediate halt to mining operations until the completion of the probe. While the cabinet decided on an inquiry, operations have already been launched along the Indus River in Swabi, Nowshera, and Kohat, where illegal activities have been shut down under Section 144 and heavy machinery has been confiscated.
But the question remains: how is it possible that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and the PTI-led cabinet were unaware of such massive corruption worth trillions? The scandal not only exposes glaring incompetence but also raises suspicions of direct involvement of those in power. If the government had no knowledge, it proves their incapacity to govern. If they did know, then the rot goes all the way to the top.
This scandal reflects a deeper crisis in KP, where the PTI government has repeatedly failed to maintain transparency, accountability, and effective governance. Whether through negligence or complicity, the gold blocks scandal has laid bare the ugly truth: the provincial rulers are either unfit for leadership or beneficiaries of corruption themselves.