Mohmand elders want marble mine issue resolved

GHALLANAI: The elders of Tora Khwa in Mohmand tribal district on Monday asked the district administration and police to provide security to the vehicles transporting marble from their area.

Speaking at a press conference, Malik Fayyaz Khwezai, contractor Madad Khan, Syed Rehman

and others said that a long-standing dispute existed between the Nawab faction and the Malang Kor tribe over the Tora Khwa marble mountain in Baizai tehsil of Mohmand tribal district.They said that Malang Kor agreed with the Nawab faction in 2004, which had a validity of thirteen years and expired in 2017.

After the expiry of the agreement, the elders of Malang Kor decided that they would not enter into any further agreements with anyone other than their people. Consequently, following a jirga and legal proceedings, the lease was granted to Shahdur Rahman, which was also allegedly approved by the Minerals Department.

They said the Nawab group triggered a new dispute and claim. Even though they had already excluded the disputed land during the lease process.The elders alleged that once they started loading marble from the quarry, certain persons from the Haleemzai tribe along with the Nawab group, blocked their vehicles on the road, opened fire, and damaged the vehicles.

Later a jirga settled the issue but, the Nawab group refused to accept the decision and once again blocked their vehicles.They appealed to the police, district administration and Minerals Department to ensure the security of their vehicles and play a role in safeguarding the marble business in the region.