1- Khaista Jan Ahadi: Paktiaprovincial council head
The southeastern Paktia province is bestowed with enormous natural reservoirs but the government has yet to take stringent measures to regulate its excavation.
Khaista Khan, provincial council head, said: “We have shared our concerns with security institutions about unauthorized mining and the subsequent smuggling of natural resources of the province.”
He deplored illegal mining was underway in the province. The Ministry of Mines allowed a company to extract hundreds of tonnes of copper as a sample from the Machalgho copper mine in the Ahmadabad district, he informed.
He said the excavation of hundreds of tonnes of copper as a sample was out of his understanding. “We don’t know what the company has done after they took the sample,” the provincial council head said.
2- Ahmad Ali Da
rwesh: Helmand provincial council member
Rich in natural resources, the mines in southern Helmand province remained unexcavated due to rampant insecurity in the province, said Darwesh.
He said militants had joined hands with smugglers who excavated the mine illegally and subsequently exported to Pakistan. He added most of the smuggling was taking place in the localities that were under militants’ control.
3-Abdul 
MatinFaqirzada: Paktikaprovincial council member
Paktika has abundant in natural resources of chromites, coal, gold and crude oil in the Gomal, Barmal, Janikhel and Khairkot districts.
Contract for excavation has not been awarded for any of the mines but mining was underway in an unregulated way in the province particularly in insecure areas.
The mining department has been just established in the province and needed to do hectic work, Faqirzada said.
4-Aqila Hus
saini: Bamyanprovincial council secretary
Bamyan possesses massive deposits of natural resources such as iron and coal. These are considered largest mines of Afghanistan. If both mines are extracted in a regulated way then poverty and unemployment could be brought to a low level.
5- Mrs Amin: Na
ngarharprovincial council member
Amin said that the government had failed to extract Nangarhar mines. “We have discussed the illegal extraction of mines in Nangarhar and shared the issue with the relevant officials but only the illegal extraction has prevented.”
He said preventio
n of illegal extraction of mines was no solution to the problem rather the government should work for its extraction. The mines department in Nangarhar is unable to take any action.
6- Dr Mohammad Afzal Hadid: Balkh provincial councilhead
There are a number of natural resources in Balkh, including petroleum, gas, plaster, salt, gravel and others. But measures to extract it in a regulated way have yet to be launched. Mines department was weak enough, which could not oversee the process of companies awarded the contracts of mines extraction.
7- NafisaHijran: Logarprovincial council member
The central Logar province has large scale natural reservoirs. Some of natural resources’ sites are situated in peaceful areas while others existed in rebels’ infested localities. However, exact volume of theresources has yet to be identified.
The Aynak copper reservoir is the widely known mine in Logar, the provincial council member said.She said some time mining was taking place in the province in an unregulated way. However, security forces had foiled several attempts of its illegal mining.
8-Abdul MatinFaqirzada: Paktikaprovincial council member
Paktika has abundant in natural resources of chromites, coal, gold and crude oil in the Gomal, Barmal, Janikhel and Khairkot districts.
Contract for excavation has not been awarded for any of the mines but mining was underway in an unregulated way in the province particularly in insecure areas.
The mining department has been just established in the province and needed to do hectic work, Faqirzada said.
9-Alhaj Abdul Majid Shakib: Badghisprovincial council head
The surveys carried out in Badghis province two years back showed presence of massive natural resources of petroleum and gas in the province.
The areas rich in natural reservoirs start from localities bordering neighbouring Heart, expanded to Balamarghab and neighbouring Turkmenistan border.
In addition to coal mines, deposits of construction minerals are also available, which were being used by residents of the area.
Unfortunately, no mine in Badghis could be offered for bidding process because mining and petroleum department has been recently approved to be established in Badghis.
