Law and order has dramatically deteriorated in mineral-rich Bamiyan, which until last year was one of the most secure provinces, officials say.
Law and order has dramatically deteriorated in mineral-rich Bamiyan, which until last year was one of the most secure provinces, officials say. Kreshma Fakhri investigates the reasons.Fear of sabotage has brought mining projects to a grinding halt in Bamiyan. The province has become as much of a security headache as its neighbours Parwan and Baghlan.
According to security agencies, members of parliament (MPs) and local people, the threats are from armed opponents of the government, and regional intelligence agencies and neighbours.
With the country’s biggest reserves of coal in Eshtapush and Klich in the north-east of the province – which was being illegally mined by locals and a mining mafia – and the vast iron ore mines of Hajigak, Bamiyan was counted as one of the most secure parts of the country. Last November, the government awarded three of the four blocks at the Hajigak ore deposit – with an estimated 1.8 billion tonnes of ore – to Indian companies led by the state-owned Steel Authority of India, and offered the final block to Canada’s Kilo Goldmines Ltd.
Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani told the upper house of parliament that security has deteriorated ever since the award of the multi-billion mining project. Without naming any country or agency, Shahrani said, “The intelligence organisations of the neighbouring countries are trying to make mining at Hajigak difficult by making Bamiyan insecure… Both Bamiyan and Hajigak area (about 100 km west of Kabul) were the most secure in the country until six months ago but when the enemy got information that the contract has been finalised, the security immediately turned worse.”
Stoking insecurity
Spokesman in the Ministry of Mines Jawed Omar is also not willing to elaborate on the “countries” that he says are trying to create insecurity because they do not stand to benefit from the mining projects.
Fakoori Beheshti, MP from Bamiyan, is more forthcoming. “It is possible that the countries that have rivalries with India may have a hand in stoking insecurity in order that the project fails,” he asserts.
Moreover, officials in the Ministry of Mines, security authorities in Bamiyan and locals say there are mafia groups that have a stake in mine extraction and are determined to make it difficult for mining companies to enter the area. The Ministry of Mines banned mining by local interests last year. Mohammad Sajjad Mohseni, spokesperson of Bamiyan Ulema Council, says: “Following the ban on mining, local leaders have joined with the opponents of the government; they make the area insecure to wrest control of the mines.”
Ahmad Aliyar, spokesperson of Bamiyan Police Commandment, echoes this view. “Security was fine in Bamiyan before the ban on extraction but now insecurity has increased. (Local) people menace the governmental forces by helping and sheltering the (government’s) opponents,” he says. He says the people of Daree Shekari valley and Shebar district are siding with the government’s enemies. “Influential people in the area had illegally allocated coal seams to themselves, and were mining,” he explains.
Thin on the ground
Safoora Elkhani, MP in the lower house, also does not mention any names. “These people are themselves mafia; they have a hand in the breakdown of security. They could be local or people supported from abroad.”
Mohseni believes security agencies are not up to policing Bamiyan.
“The Tashkel ‘configuration of troops’ is very less – there are only 800 police in the province. They cannot assure security. The government has only Kalashnikov guns while its opponents are better armed.”
Aliyar says the problem of staff shortage has been referred to Kabul, but nothing has come of it. “Not only was our request not taken seriously, our force was reduced by 60 policemen,” he says.
Beheshti puts the blame squarely on the government for not beefing up the police force. “The security commandment of Bamiyan has 700 police personnel. That should have been doubled at least,” he says.
Ministry of Mines spokesman Jawed Omar claims a 100 extra police were deployed for the security of coal mines in Bamiyan. Meanwhile, mining experts blame “powerful people” within the government who do not want to see mining develop in the country for the lawlessness. Economist Zarif Nasiri says, “Our government has not been able to assure security in the provinces, and appoint people who are committed to national interest. Neighbouring countries, people in power, and the weakness of the government are reasons for the problems in Bamiyan.” Nasiri also points to Afghanistan’s vulnerable position as a theatre of super power conflict.
Economic expert, Yunus Negah, points to corruption and lack of transparency in the government as reasons for the slowing down of the mining deals. In addition, the government’s failure to ensure the mines will provide employment to local people has boomeranged on the project, he says. “The mines are in the control of a government that does not deserve to be in charge of such wealth,” Negah says. He adds that in public perception the government has failed to do any work for the people with the money it earns. Mines have “proved damaging to the nation instead of useful”, he concludes.
