Up to Rs700bn gold deposits discovered in Attock: minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister of Minerals Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani has said that 2.8 million tola gold has been discovered in a 32 km wide area of Attock, which is worth Rs600-700 billion in the world market.

He told the daily “Jung” that the government was working under the study of the Geological Survey of Pakistan on the gold deposits and work continued last year. He said that Nespak and other firms will be hired to further confirm the value of the reserves. Gorchani said that the gold discovered in Attock would be auctioned after a month and would be advertised internationally. “The rules have been framed regarding the auction of the reserves and an auction committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the Attock deputy commissioner,” he added.

The provincial minister said that the rules for the auction would be approved by the Punjab cabinet meeting to be held next Tuesday. He said that people were stealing gold by installing machines in the area and the Punjab government imposed Section 144, after which no such incident had occurred.