A City on the Brink
Mingora, the largest, busiest and most important urban center of not only Swat District but the entire Malakand Division, is rapidly moving toward a silent yet extremely dangerous tragedy. A disaster whose scale has perhaps not yet been fully realized by the public or the authorities. Illegal emerald mining beneath residential areas has shaken the very foundations of the city, and experts warn that if this situation continues, Mingora could soon become the center of a major human catastrophe.
A Widespread Urban Threat
This problem is not limited to a few individuals or a handful of streets, it is affecting the entire urban structure. In densely populated areas such as Qazi Baba Mohalla, Raja Abad, Aziz Abad and Muhammad Gul Shaheed, secret underground tunnels are being dug. Heavy machinery, drilling equipment and in some places even explosives are used to extract precious emeralds, while hundreds of families live unaware above these hollowed grounds.
Unsafe and Unscientific Mining
Residents state that this mining is being carried out in a completely unscientific, illegal and highly dangerous manner. No safety measures, no technical surveys, and no expert supervision exist. The land is being cut from beneath without any planning, resulting in the loss of natural stability. The foundations of homes are continuously weakening.
Lives Already Lost
So far, two residential houses have completely collapsed, causing the loss of precious human lives under the debris. Tragically, even such horrific incidents failed to awaken the relevant authorities. These events prove that the danger is not hypothetical, it is real and already present.
Cracks in Dozens of Homes
Approximately 87 houses have developed large and dangerous cracks. In many cases, walls are leaning outward, roofs are sinking, and floors show deep fissures. These are clear structural signs of imminent collapse.
Living in Constant Fear
Affected residents say that as soon as they step inside their homes, they feel the ground trembling, as if the entire structure could collapse at any moment. Every night, they sleep with the same fear, this might be their last night alive.
Psychological Trauma
Children cannot sleep, elderly people tremble in fear, and women remain constantly engaged in prayers, hoping that no major disaster occurs. This psychological suffering cannot be understood by officers sitting comfortably in offices and files.
Open Violation of the Law
The most alarming aspect is that all this is happening in clear violation of Section 35 of the Mines and Minerals Act, which explicitly declares mining in residential areas illegal and punishable. Yet no major case has been registered, no significant arrests made, and no licenses canceled.
Noise That Authorities Ignore
According to locals, mining continues day and night. The sound of drilling machines, breaking rocks, and sometimes even explosions can be clearly heard, especially at night. Astonishingly, law enforcement agencies seem completely deaf to these sounds.
Suspicion of Official Complicity
The continuous silence of the district administration and the Mines and Minerals Department is no longer just negligence, it has become a serious question mark. Public perception is strengthening that this silence is due to alleged collusion and vested interests, where the wealth of a few powerful individuals is being built at the cost of thousands of innocent lives.
Families with No Escape
Many families are watching the homes they built with a lifetime’s savings collapse before their eyes. They have no alternative shelter and no support from the government. Some take their children to relatives at night, while others sleep in open fields or on roadsides just to save their lives.
A Man-Made Disaster
These scenes are not the result of a natural disaster, but of human greed and institutional negligence. A tragedy created by people, not nature.
Voices Ignored
Social activists, journalists and community elders have repeatedly raised their voices. Press conferences, protests, sit-ins and petitions have all been carried out. The result has only been promises, assurances and committee announcements, nothing more.
A Criminal Offense
Legal experts state that this is not merely administrative negligence but a clear criminal offense. Deliberately endangering public lives falls under serious crimes in Pakistan’s penal law. Not only the mining mafia, but also silent officials are equally responsible.
Who Will Be Responsible?
If a major disaster kills hundreds or thousands, who will bear moral, legal and constitutional responsibility? Will there again be inquiry committees, reports locked in files, and a few scapegoats while the real culprits remain protected?
Waiting for a Mass Grave?
Is the state truly waiting for a massive tragedy? Are two collapsed houses, lost lives and dozens of cracked homes not enough evidence that the situation is already out of control?
Geological Warnings
Geologists have warned that continuous underground excavation has created serious risks of landslides and large-scale subsidence. This could damage not only homes but also roads, schools and mosques.
A City-Wide Impact
This problem will not remain limited to a few neighborhoods. If this trend continues, the entire city of Mingora could be affected. Changes in groundwater levels, disruption of drainage systems and sinking infrastructure may soon create an urban crisis.
Public Demands
The people demand immediate closure of all illegal mining activities, a transparent inquiry, a full geological survey, and evacuation of dangerous houses with proper relocation of affected families.
Accountability of the Mafia
The real actors behind the mining mafia must be exposed and punished. These individuals are not just breaking the law, they are becoming responsible for collective murder driven by greed.
Responsibility of Officials
Investigations must also target officials in the Mines and Minerals Department who remained silent despite full knowledge. If this silence is intentional, it is not incompetence but criminal negligence.
Time for Action, Not Statements
This is not the time for notices and headlines. It is time for immediate practical action. If the state fails today, tomorrow Mingora may become a graveyard, covered in rubble and silent screams buried beneath.
Lessons from History
History teaches that when corruption, greed and incompetence are ignored, large disasters are born. Mingora is walking the same dangerous path, still preventable today, but perhaps too late tomorrow.
A Test for the State
This is not merely about emerald mining. It is a test of state responsibility, rule of law and the value of human life. If a state cannot protect its citizens, all development and progress become meaningless.
Today's E-Paper