Several booked for mining in Margallas

The Taxila police have booked several individuals for carrying out explosive blasting in the Margalla Hills with the apparent intention of illegal mining.

The accused include the owner of Faisal Hills, Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, B17 President Rao Aslam, and Secretary Nadeem Sarwar among others.

According to ASI Mohmand Khan, a report was received indicating that unauthorised explosive blasting took place during the night, orchestrated by the management of B17 and Faisal Hills.

Acting on this information, a police team reached the area between Faisal Hills and B17. Evidence indicated that a substantial amount of fallen stones resulted from the mountain blasting.

He said this activity had been ongoing for an extended period, involving the unlawful extraction of minerals, thus violating the Supreme Court directives.

Upon further investigation, it was uncovered that President of B17, Rao Aslam, Secretary Nadeem Sarwar, owner of Faisal Hills, Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, and Khan Salim, along with four other individuals, were allegedly responsible for employing heavy machinery and explosives to unlawfully extract minerals from Margalla Hills.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2023.