QUETTA: The chief executive of Canadian mining firm Barrick Gold said this week the multibillion-dollar Reko Diq copper and gold project in Pakistan’s Balochistan province will deliver “generational benefits” to the impoverished, conflict-hit region, as he met residents of Humai village near the mine site.
The Reko Diq project, jointly owned by Barrick and the governments of Pakistan and Balochistan, is one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits. Long delayed by legal disputes and concerns over foreign investment, the mine is seen as a potential economic game changer in a province that has long suffered from poverty, underdevelopment, and armed separatist violence.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has for years seen unrest rooted in demands for greater autonomy and a larger share of natural resource revenues. Separatist militants have regularly targeted infrastructure, Chinese investments, and security forces. Against this backdrop, Barrick has emphasized its commitment to inclusive and transparent development.
“Reko Diq is not just a mining project; it is a multi-generational opportunity that promises sustained economic and social development for local communities for decades to come,” Barrick CEO Mark Bristow said in a statement on Monday released after he visited Humai, the closest village to the project site in District Chagai.
Bristow met local elders and development committee members, reaffirming the company’s goal to invest in job creation, skills training, education, and health care for Baloch communities.
“We are creating job opportunities not only through RDMC but also through our large network of partner and supplier companies that are coming onboard to support this major development,” Bristow said. “Currently, 75 percent of our workforce is from Balochistan — the majority from District Chagai — and we aim to continue strengthening this local representation.”
Bristow also highlighted recent investments in health care, including a new Mother and Child Health Center in Humai that offers maternal care services — the first such facility of its kind in the area.
“No meaningful development of this world-class mineral resource can happen without the active involvement and support of the people who live here,” he said.
Humai village chief Liaqat Malik and Par-e-Koh Community Development Committee Chairman Taj Muhammad thanked Bristow and RDMC for their engagement and development work, pledging continued community support for the project, according to the Barrick statement.
The Reko Diq project is expected to begin production by 2028 and generate thousands of jobs while significantly boosting Pakistan’s export revenues. The Pakistani government has said it will ensure environmental protections and fair distribution of project benefits, though watchdog groups continue to call for greater transparency and community participation in oversight.
