Govt submits reply in Waziristan copper petition

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has received a response from the government in a writ petition filed for providing details about the extraction of copper from the Muhammadkhel area in North Waziristan and the income and expenses associated with it.

A two-member bench comprising Justice SM Attique Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah heard the petition.The petitioner, Malik Ajmal advocate, informed the court that copper and other minerals were being extracted from the Muhammadkhel area of North Waziristan without a proper lease, but there were no details available regarding how it was being extracted or the specifics of the revenue generated.

He argued that every citizen has the constitutional right to know about the income, expenses, and royalties earned by the federation.He said that the province was being deprived of its rightful revenue, and the people of the province had the right to know about the income generated.

He added that KP was rich in natural resources such as gas, oil, copper, chrome, and other minerals. A well-known TV anchor had also discussed this issue in a programme, saying that 1.1 million tonnes of copper had already been extracted from North Waziristan, while there are reserves of 3.5 million tonnes of copper.