Faisal Karim Kundi, governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, says illegal gold mining in Kohat is helping fund terrorism, and he has named several politicians he accuses of involvement. He made the remarks at a press conference in Peshawar on Saturday, 14 November 2026, days after at least 11 police personnel were killed in an ambush. The police team was working against an illegal mining network in Kohat, and a statement from the IGP's office in Peshawar said the network was allegedly linked to terrorists and criminal elements.
What the governor announced
Kundi said the province would halt every gold mining lease. He put the amount of gold extracted illegally at 90 kilogrammes in a single month, and those are his figures rather than a verified total. Contractors in the sector have been told to exit the province in one week, and strict action is promised after that deadline.
The province plans a fresh policy for the sector within three weeks, Kundi told the briefing, which was also attended by the minerals adviser to the province, the chief secretary and IGP Zulfiqar Hameed. He announced a task force named after the DSP killed in the attack, drawn from police and district administration, and a judicial commission to examine the incident. He also said an operation would be launched against those responsible for the deaths of 10 personnel. That figure differs from the at least 11 reported earlier, and the statements do not reconcile the two.
Kundi also cited 3,000 excavators, 1,600 dumpers and 200 heavy loaders at mining sites, and said about 49,000 people work in the industry while Rs4.2 billion is taken from gold mines each month. These are the governor's figures and have not been independently confirmed. What happens next depends on the one-week exit deadline, the three-week timeline for the new policy and the work of the judicial commission.
Allegations of terror funding and named politicians
Kundi said illegal gold mining in Kohat was tied to terrorism and that four-fifths of mining proceeds were flowing to Afghanistan. He said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was getting money from Kohat mining sites, and that Afghan commanders take extortion money. These are the governor's allegations, and no independent finding on them has been reported.
He named former law minister Aftab Alam, Sheryar Afridi, Khurram Zeeshan, Amjad Afridi and a brother of Sohail Afridi, who is a former chief minister, as people involved in illegal mining. He also claimed that 12 politicians were involved, and said the same accountability standard would cover everyone, whether political or non-political figures. These remain unproven allegations made by the governor.
The provincial minerals adviser gave a separate account of how the gold moved. Placer gold, which is gold found in river sediment, had reached rivers through natural flow from Gilgit and other areas, he said, and mining proceeds were flowing to criminal networks and militant outfits. He said blocks A, B and D had a role in the process as of October 2024, and cited contracts valued at Rs1.2 billion in Tarbela, Rs1.3 billion near Attock and Rs1.11 billion in Kohat.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- October 2024: The provincial minerals adviser said blocks A, B and D had a role in the process.
- Wednesday: Militants ambushed a police team on an operation against illegal mining in Kohat, killing at least 11 personnel, including a DSP and a sub-inspector, and injuring 12 others.
- Saturday, 14 November 2026: At a press conference in Peshawar, the governor announced the suspension of gold mining leases, a one-week exit deadline for contractors and a new policy within three weeks.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Kohat mein gair qanooni sona nikalne ke operation ke dauran police par hamla hua aur kam az kam 11 ahalkar maare gaye. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi ka kehna hai ke is kaam ki kamai dehshatgardi tak pahunchti hai, aur unhon ne kuch siyasatdanon ke naam liye jo unke elzamaat hain. Gold mining ke thekedaron ko ek hafte mein soobe se nikalne ka kaha gaya hai, aur teen hafton mein nayi policy aane wali hai. Aam logon ke liye iska matlab hai ke rozgar, tahafuz aur mining ke faislon par nazar rakhna zaroori hai.
