KHYBER:The mine owners’ association has urged authorities to immediately lift the ban on the controlled use of explosives for mining purposes here.

The demand was made during the oath-taking ceremony for the association’s newly-elected cabinet on Saturday.

The participants included local MNA Iqbal Afridi, MPA Abdul Ghani, tribal elders, and representatives of political parties.

Association president Asghar Afridi said if mine owners were allowed the controlled use of explosives and provided with facilities, their businesses would flourish, creating jobs for the local youth.

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He said the association’s members fulfilled all documentary requirements to get permission for the controlled use of explosives and approached all departments, but to no avail.

Complain about ‘unnecessary’ security checkpoints in Khyber

Mr Afridi said the use of explosives for mining purposes was banned in 2009 ahead of the start of a military operation against militants in Bara, but the ban hadn’t been lifted despite the completion of the action in 2014 and the return of over 90,000 displaced families to Bara and Tirah.

He said the district had huge reserves of coal, chromite, nephrite, sulphantine, marble, laterite, and other minerals, but they couldn’t be extracted due to the unavailability of machinery and other facilities.

“The government is spending huge foreign exchange to import coal from Afghanistan. If coal reserves in Khyber are properly explored, the country can save millions of dollars besides alleviating poverty in the region,” he said.

Another association leader, Haji Noor Mohammad, said the issue of terrorism was “blown out of proportion” to stop the return of displaced families to the areas rich in mineral resources.

He alleged that mine owners and locals were not allowed to dig out minerals, and security checkpoints were unnecessarily established at short distances to restrict their movement.

Mr Mohammad demanded that the district administration be empowered for smooth and speedy mining of minerals with the help of modern machinery.

**IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE:**The Landi Kotal Press Club on Friday organised a literary session with the local poets and writers, the first of its kind, to highlight the importance of poetry and literature in a society battered by years of militancy and extremism.

Noted poets and writers Prof Tawab Masroor, Kabir Khan Kabir, Bawar Shinwari, Namadar Afridi, Nadir Khan, and Abdul Ghafoor Afridi, as well as young poets, shared their work with participants and presented some famous ghazals and poems of Hamza Baba, Khatir Afridi, and Lalzada Nazir Shinwari.

In their poetic renditions, they highlighted the importance of lasting peace, abhorring militancy, and shedding light on the perpetual problems faced by the local residents.

The event was presided over by Prof Tawab Masroor, who said poets and writers were the actual portrayers of society who highlighted things happening around them in their work.

Poet Abdul Ghafoor Afridi lauded the press club for organising the event, saying it has provided poets with an opportunity to present their work.

The participants demanded, through a resolution, the construction of the mausoleum of Khatir Afridi at a new site acquired for it.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024