In a statement posted on social media platform X on Saturday, Asif said a total of 4,917 mining licences or titles had been issued in the province since Pakistan’s creation, with the number increasing significantly during successive provincial governments.
خیبر پختونخوا میں معدنیات کے لائسنسز کی حقیقت (سرکاری اعداد و شمار کے مطابق): قیام پاکستان سے 2010 تک خیبر پختونخوا میں معدنیات کے صرف 482 لائسنس/ٹائٹلز جاری ہوئے تھے۔ پی ٹی آئی کی صوبائی حکومتوں کے دور میں یہ تعداد تیزی سے بڑھی۔ 2020 تک 1,762، فروری 2024 تک 3,962، اور موجودہ وقت میں کل 4,917 مائننگ لائسنسز جاری ہو چکے ہیں۔ ان میں سے 4,133 آباد اضلاع میں اور 784 ضم شدہ اضلاع میں ہیں اس پورے عرصے میں عسکری ادارے FWO کو صرف ایک لائسنس ملا، جو 2015 میں شمالی وزیرستان کے بویا علاقے میں دیا گیا تھا، جہاں FWO تعمیراتی اور بحالی کے کاموں میں مصروف رہا اس وقت 500 سے زائد نئی درخواستیں زیر غور ہیں، جن میں سے کوئی بھی عسکری ادارے کی جانب سے نہیں ہے مختصر یہ کہ معدنیات کے لائسنسز کی بڑی تعداد پی ٹی آئی دورِ حکومت میں جاری ہوئی، جبکہ عسکری اداروں کا اس شعبے میں براہِ راست حصہ سرے سے تھا ہی نہیں.
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) October 17, 2026
According to the minister, only 482 licences had been granted between independence and 2010. The figure rose to 1,762 by 2020 during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial governments, increased to 3,962 by February 2024 and currently stands at 4,917.
Asif said 4,133 licences were issued in settled districts, while 784 belonged to the merged districts of the province.
Addressing questions about military involvement in the mining sector, the defence minister stated that the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), a military engineering organisation, had received only one mining licence during the entire period.
He said the licence was granted in 2015 for the Boya area of North Waziristan, where the organisation was engaged in construction and rehabilitation activities.
The minister further disclosed that more than 500 applications for new mining licences were under consideration, adding that none had been submitted by a military institution. He maintained that the figures demonstrated the limited involvement of military institutions in the province’s mining sector.
The clarification comes amid political controversy over the management and ownership of mineral resources in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly following the imposition of Governor’s Rule.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman has opposed the move, alleging that emergency rule could facilitate the transfer of control over mineral resources in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) from the provincial government to the federal government.
Addressing a conference in Multan, Fazlur Rahman claimed that the region’s resources had become part of KP following the merger and accused the authorities of attempting to take control of its mineral wealth.
He also expressed concerns about alleged foreign involvement in regional resource arrangements and warned against concentrating excessive powers in a single authority.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed that a political party leader was unhappy over not receiving a share in the new administrative arrangement in KP, including the governorship.
The debate over mining licences and provincial authority over natural resources continues to fuel political tensions in the province.
