PESHAWAR (Kashmir English): Following the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the organized propaganda disseminated on social media by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been exposed, revealing the facts regarding the party’s own plunder of resources.
As PTI’s tenure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa came to an end, marked by the imposition of Governor’s Rule and the establishment of an 11-member council, the party launched a campaign of highly negative propaganda against national institutions.
According to an independent research team, a coordinated and organized propaganda campaign was initiated by social media accounts affiliated with PTI following the imposition of the emergency in the province.
This narrative claims that the emergency was imposed in the province to facilitate the looting of mineral resources.
To fuel this propaganda, PTI-linked accounts using fake handles are repeatedly circulating an old video clip of the US Chargé d’Affaires, in which she discusses the mineral potential of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and other parts of Pakistan.
Independent fact-checking reveals that the facts and figures clearly demonstrate this narrative is based entirely on bad faith, baseless information, and attempts to incite public emotion. **PTI-Era Licenses and the Exploitation of Placer Gold in the Indus River**
According to sources, facts have emerged revealing that prior to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) coming to power, the total number of mining licenses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was less than 1,000; however, during its 13-year tenure, the PTI issued over 4,719 mining licenses to its favored politicians, contractors, and facilitators.
These frontmen and companies engaged in the indiscriminate and ruthless exploitation of raw materials rather than producing finished or refined goods.
A clear example of this is the presence of hundreds of excavators along the banks of the Indus River, operated by companies owned by PTI ministers; these entities were involved in illegal activities extracting placer gold and other rare minerals from the river’s black sand.
Had these individuals truly cared about the welfare of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, they could have transformed the province’s destiny using these mineral resources over those 13 years, rather than engaging in illegal mining themselves.
Role of the Pakistan Army
An investigative report has revealed that all allegations made by the PTI regarding the Pakistan Army seizing mineral resources have proven baseless; these accusations stem from personal animosity and collusion with terrorists.
Across the entire province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the national institution holds only a single mining license—for the mining project at Boya Dagan operated by the Frontier Works Organization (FWO).
This mine not only employs residents, but the national media has also visited it on numerous occasions to assess its transparency.
The project boasts an outstanding and distinguished track record regarding local development and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); furthermore, the Pakistan Army has no involvement in the minerals themselves or their management and administration.
Essential Factors for Sustainable Development
It is important to note that Pakistan, including the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan—possesses immense and remarkable mineral potential.
However, the nation and local communities can only reap the benefits of this potential if certain fundamental and essential prerequisites for the sector’s development are met.
These include securing appropriate and transparent investment; ensuring the availability of a skilled and trained workforce; establishing an effective, modern, and transparent legal and regulatory framework; producing finished and refined goods rather than exporting raw materials; and providing a safe and stable environment.
Similarly, the establishment of robust logistics, transportation, and supply chain networks, along with the strict implementation of environmental protection laws and measures, is indispensable for the sector’s growth.
All these measures require a professional, organized, and honest strategy—not the kind of verbal rhetoric and political narratives fabricated to mislead the public and shield the PTI’s long-standing, illegal mining exploration activities.
The Need to Deploy Teams
To effectively counter this propaganda in the public sphere, it is essential to dispatch journalistic teams to the relevant sites so they can uncover the truth through interviews with independent experts and residents.
According to experts and representatives, the mineral resources of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are a trust belonging to the nation and its people. These minerals are being utilized for the public good and welfare, and will continue to be used for this purpose in the future.
All decisions regarding these minerals will be made transparently and with the aim of public welfare. Therefore, the narrative currently being constructed is merely a futile attempt to incite unrest, provoke, and mislead the public; ultimately, the truth always prevails over falsehood.
It is pertinent to note that a fierce information war has erupted on social media following recent political shifts and the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Amidst the ongoing political turmoil, attempts are being made to disseminate fabricated content against security agencies and the state, relying on unverified videos and erroneous data, in a bid to divert public attention away from administrative reforms.
Stoking public sentiment through unverified videos and half-truths on social media represents a dangerous form of modern information warfare.
The current campaign surrounding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s mineral resources clearly demonstrates how, for the sake of political interests, chaos is fomented under the guise of national resources.
