KABUL: It is quiet, high up on a bleak slope in front of a mine in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Badakhshan. In the past, loud explosions echoed through this valley in the district of Kuran wa Munjan. These were not from war but from the extraction of lapis lazuli, a deep blue semi-precious stone.
A recent investigation by Global Witness, an international non-governmental organisation working on corruption, conflict and natural resources, claimed mining of the precious stone in this remote region is funding illegal armed groups and driving extremism and corruption.
But mining has now come to a virtual standstill. The Afghan government has cut off transport of what it declares illegally extracted lapis lazuli from mines that were taken over by armed militias in January 2014. The Chinese buyers have left Afghanistan and prices have plummeted depriving the region of its major source of income. Much of that stone passed through Pakistan to China, where it is used to make jewellery.
Mining, in theory, has the potential to generate significant revenue and growth for Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest countries despite its massive mineral wealth. A 2010 report by the US military estimated that the country’s mineral wealth was as much as US$1 trillion (6.9 trillion yuan). Badakhshan, especially, has few other sources of employment beyond mining.
But so far, the highly unregulated activity has not helped local people and the vast profits have fallen into the hands of a few powerful individuals.
When I visit the mining settlement marked Sar-i Sang on maps, which locals call Mahdani Lojward (lapis lazuli mines) in Dari, one of Afghanistan’s national languages, it is mostly deserted. Thousands of men reportedly used to stay here to mine the blue lapis treasure from deep inside the mountains but now there is only a handful who live in the crumbling stone huts in the encampment.
Haji rejects all allegations that he or his group have unduly enriched themselves. He tells me that while he profited on a modest scale, so did everyone in Kuran wa Munjan, and that the revenue was mainly used to provide security to the mines and fix roads and bridges.
Malek also rejects allegations of paying off the Taliban, which control the neighbouring district of Yamgan, to prevent them from interfering with the mines. He says these accusations are fabrications by government officials, in particular, Zulmai Mujadidi, who used to control the mines.
