ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday clarified that no military institution is among more than 500 applications currently under consideration for mineral licences in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
In a statement posted on X, Asif shared official figures on mining licences issued in the province, saying that only 482 licences or titles had been granted since the creation of Pakistan until 2010.
According to the defence minister, the number increased to 1,762 by 2020 during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial governments, rose to 3,962 by February 2024, and currently stands at 4,917.
Of the total licences issued, 4,133 are in settled districts and 784 in the merged districts, he said.
Asif added that the military engineering organization Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) had received only one mining licence during the entire period. The licence was granted in 2015 for the Boya area of North Waziristan, where the organisation was engaged in construction and rehabilitation work.
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 ہیںاس 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
“More than 500 new applications are currently under consideration, none of which is from a military institution,” the minister said.
He argued that the figures showed that most mining licences had been issued during PTI’s tenure in the province, adding that military institutions had no direct involvement in the sector apart from the single licence granted to FWO.
Asif’s statement comes amid strong opposition from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman to the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Political party chief upset over not getting KP governorship, says Mohsin Naqvi
Addressing the Mufti Mahmood Conference in Multan, Fazl alleged that the imposition of emergency rule had paved the way for transferring control of mineral resources in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) from the province to the federal government.
“The resources of FATA had become part of the province, but by imposing an emergency, you have handed them over to the federation,” he said.
Fazl described the move as an attempt to take control of the region’s mineral wealth and accused the authorities of negotiating deals with the United States at the expense of local resources.
“Remember, we will no longer accept this kind of politics,” he said, adding that China and Russia also had reservations about the developments. He further alleged that foreign powers were being brought into the region.
The JUI-F chief also warned against concentrating excessive powers in the hands of a single authority, arguing that such an accumulation of power could eventually overwhelm those exercising it.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday claimed that a political party chief was upset over not receiving a share in the new administrative arrangement in KP, including the governorship, following the imposition of Governor’s Rule.
“He is upset over not getting a share in Governor’s Rule or the governorship,” the interior minister said without naming the political leader.