Mining Cost us Our Unity – By: Ali Shah Murad
Societies doesn’t always get prey to external forces or internal grudges; sometime mineral resources are enough to destroy the very basics of social fabrics. Back in 2020, Besti Arkari, became center of attention to most of the mineral industry’s tycoons when Emerald (zamarud) pieces got extracted from the mountains of Warwaft Ghari. It wouldn’t have been found without the help of one of the semi-nomadic woman who once found minor pieces of emerald and sold it for heavy price. This incident of 2016, changed everything about this beautiful valley which once used to be an epitome of unity, beauty and untouched natural ecosystem.
Soon after that mini business of native individual, lessee holders rushed to Besti valley, anticipating discovery of precious stone’s ore and life changing expedition. Local public and the leadership were overjoyed and optimistic for the great discovery to be happened from their barren mountains which support nothing but piles of iceberg and winter snow. While clever imagined their bright future, lay man showed frustration and curiosity how it goes on. Adrenaline rushed, day dreaming overtook consciousness and leadership decided to go with the flow.
For your fascination, Besti Arkari, is just 70 km distant from Chitral city yet experience crisis of many basic needs of life. Health facilities are negligible, attention towards education from the government hibernate since independence, social development is a foggy concept and road infrastructure resonate that of the stone age. Amidst of all grievances Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) instill ray of hope to the people of the valley.
Once Arkari became THE ARKARI, in 2020, everything changed for the innocent people of the valley. Emerald acted as a stimulant to remind the government that Arkari is also part of the Chitral which got merged to Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 1969. Government acted according to John Locke’s Social Contract concept and all attention were directed towards the basic needs of the people. The very first thing the government did was installed police station which obviously was alien concept for the local. Since independence till 2020 we didn’t have this station and all of the sudden we got one. Was it for public good? People have mixed opinion on that and rightly so. Valley, which has zero crime rate now have policing which may regulate traffic of bumpy roads.
Such reforms continued to surface as the matter of mining went on from tracing pieces to finding the emerald ore deposit in one of the mountains of Warwast Ghari of Besti Arkari. We got to see different faces with promises of transforming local fate and quality of life. Social gathering became part of date to date life, lessee holders struggled to get full support from the people of Besti, Arkari. People saw opportunity ahead and agreed to allow as many lessee holders as they can to extract the hidden gold. Soon after, the owners of mineral companies had an offer to construct the linking road from Besti village to Warwast Ghari where this rare mineral exist. People were overjoyed to see this offer as they can easy get accessed to their farmlands in the peripheries. Indeed, it was in people interest as they get vehicles accessed to their crops which they used to carry on their back to back home. On the other hand, it breached the very privacy of the area by giving access to people they hardly know. With time local continued to get royalty which constitution of Pakistan promised them and companies extracted as much minerals as they could. After two years’ companies denied to pay people’s share and one even gave bank cheque which found to be bogus. Out of frustration, local went for protest and called for fair investigation to this matter. The matter was probed and administration had no answer to the plead. At last, higher authorities were involved and companies were directed to give share of the people. Lessee holders responded with the excuse of bankruptcy and agreed to make local shareholder on their lessened area.
This was seen as a good gesture from the local people which cost them heavily in years to come. Native people started working there with their own means and decided to distributed shares coming from this mining. Some people were chosen to supervise the whole process and work started as planned. At the end of the season when people asked for the outcome, it was negligible. Blame game starter between the leadership and ordinary men. Some mishaps from leadership side were reported and it was messed-up all around. Now, humble people became rude, credibility of the leadership was under stake, and social fabric distorted. All seems to be “divide and rule” principal came into play and local people suffered once again. Another tactic failed and miseries continued to hunt. From the past two years’ companies are working without royalty been paid to the people which they deserve by all means.
We continued to suffer……
By: Ali Shah Murad
M. Phil Scholar from National Defence University,
Islamabad .
