PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has extended the ban on illegal gold extraction from the banks of the Indus and Kabul rivers for another 30 days under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
According to an official notification, the restriction has been renewed in Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, and adjoining areas, where unauthorised gold mining has been reported.
The order noted that illegal gold extraction was damaging riverbanks, contaminating water sources, and posing threats to public health. It also cited law and order issues, local disputes, and smuggling concerns linked to the illicit activity.
District administrations and police have been authorised to take legal action, including the confiscation of machinery, vehicles, and other equipment used in the illegal operations.
Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has launched a probe into alleged irregularities in contracts related to gold extraction from rivers in the province. NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seized records from the provincial minerals department as part of its investigation into the suspected scam.
