Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
has coal deposits in
Sindh,
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
and
Baluchistan provinces. The total coal resources there are reported to be approximately 185 billion tonnes.
Regions
Duki
Duki is in
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
. It is rich with high-quality coal with the highest rate of extraction in Pakistan. Coal is the main business in the area. More than 80% of the local population are directly involved in the coal business. The coal business is entirely in private hands, although only individuals and not companies are the owners.
Almost all Pushtun tribes in Duki including Nasar, Tareen and Luni participate. The Nasar tribe has a large share, and is considered to be the master miners and businessmen. In the 2010s, the local coal tycoons were Sardar Akbar Khan, Nasar Kamalkhail, Sardar Masoom Khan Tareen and Tekadar Atha Muhammad Nasar.
In the Duki district coal is mainly under the control of the mine owners, the Petti Tekadars, and the coal agents. The mine owners are either land owners or hold extraction rights. Ownership is held by only a few families, mainly the sardars of different tribes. Petti Tekkadars do not own mines, rather they license them from the owners. Many Petti Tekaddars work in Dukki Tehsil. Coal agents help transport coal to other cities by becoming
middlemen. At least 3,000 metric tons of coal are transported to
Punjab province. The coal is mainly used in brick kilns and other factories such as textile and cement. The width of the coal seams vary from 6 inches to 9 feet.
On average 1000 coal mines operate with turnover of Rs.50 million daily.
Duki is the best private mining valley in Pakistan. More than 50% of the labor is from
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
khora
Kingri sub-Tehsil of
Musakhel District is located on the borders of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
Province. In the early 1980s coal exploration started, but ended due to poor roads. In
President Musharraf's regime, the roads from Fort Minro to Kingri were improved. The area hosts two streams, one from
Chamalang and one from Duki. The coal-bearing areas are supportive of mining. Fifty plus mines are now operating there. Aram in Kingri has excellent coal and charcoal reserves, available at a depth of 30 feet. The specifications of Kingri coal areas:
Thar
Pakistan's largest coal reserves are found in
Sindh, measuring approximately 175 billion tonnes.
Tharparkar
Tharparkar (Dhatki/ sd, ٿرپارڪر, ur, ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar district.
The district is the largest in Si ...
division of Sindh is said to host huge deposits.
See also
*
Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd
Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd. is a mining company that owns and operates Chromite and Magnesite mines in Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan Province. It was initially incorporated as Baluchistan Chrome Mines Ltd in 1902 during British Raj, colonial ...
*
Ghani Mines Pvt Ltd
*
Karak, Pakistan
Karak (Pashto: کرك, ur, کرک ) is the headquarters of Karak District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is 123 km from Peshawar on the main Indus Highway between Peshawar and Karachi. It is located at 33°7'12N 71° ...
*
Reko Diq
Reko Diq is a small town in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located in a desert area, 70 kilometres north-west of Naukundi, close to Pakistan's border with Iran and Afghanistan. The area is located in Tethyan belt that stretches all ...
*
Baghalchur
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Salt Range
The Salt Range ( pnb, ) is a mountain range in the north of Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends along the south of the Potohar Plateau and the north of the Jhelum River. The ...
*
Loralai
Loralai ( ps, لورلايي, ur, ), also known as Bori ( ps, ), is the division headquarter of Loralai Division and district headquarter of Loralai District. It is in the northeast of Balochistan province in Pakistan. It is above sea level ...
*
Khewra Salt Mines
*
Atomic City of Pakistan
*
Coal in Duki, Pakistan
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
References
{{Reflist
Further reading
Thar Coal ResourcesMinistry of Petroleum & Natural Resources Pakistan
Pakistan Coal Power Potential
Coal in Pakistan
Coal mines in Pakistan