Taliban's marble gold mine

Published Date: 20 July 2008 By Pir Zubair Shah and Jane Perlez THE mountain of white marble shines with such brilliance in the sun it looks like snow. For four years, the quarry beneath it lay dormant, its riches captive to tribal squabbles and government ineptitude in Pakistan's tribal areas. But the Taliban appeared and imposed a firm hand. They settled the feud between the tribes, demanded a fat fee up front and a tax on every truck that ferried the treasure from the quarry. Since then, Mir Zaman, a contractor from the Masaud sub-tribe , has watched contentedly as his trucks roll out with colossal boulders bound for refining in nearby towns. "With the Taliban it is not a question of a request to us, but a question of force," said Zaman, a bearded, middle-aged tribal leader, who seemed philosophical about the reality of... [read full story]