The economic crisis across Afghanistan’s provinces continues to widen, compounded by abrupt administrative bans and deep-rooted corruption. Gold miners and workshop owners in Badakhshan province report that official mining activities have been completely halted for the past two months, leaving investors facing severe financial ruin while well-connected insiders operate with impunity.
According to affected locals, the interim administration suspended gold extraction operations under the directive that all miners must acquire new work permits from the Ministry of Mines. However, miners emphasize that they had already poured substantial capital into purchasing equipment, setting up remote site infrastructure, and hiring labor. With activities frozen, these investments are entirely trapped, leaving owners unable to recover their costs or sustain their families.
The situation has been further exacerbated by glaring double standards on the ground. Miners report that individuals who pay heavy bribes or maintain close ideological ties with the regime continue their extraction operations covertly under the cover of night, completely bypassing the official restrictions.
Nematullah, a pseudonym for a local miner in the Golgedara area of Shahr-e Buzurg (Shshi) district, shared that he personally invested roughly $50,000 USD into his mining enterprise. With all work halted, his capital remains locked down with zero recourse. This selective enforcement and lack of transparency highlight how arbitrary bureaucratic hurdles and corruption are systematically stifling local private enterprise and deepening the economic distress of ordinary citizens across the region.