ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities on Tuesday to deploy paramilitary troops in a Balochistan division to ensure protection for mineral assets, his office said in a statement, as Islamabad attempts to tap its natural resources for economic gain as militancy surges.
Rakhshan Division in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province is home to the multi-billion copper-gold mines of Saindak and Reko Diq. Pakistan has tried to woo foreign mining companies for years to undertake mining and exploration projects in these areas as it aims to tap into its mineral sector.
However, mineral-rich Balochistan is also the site of a decades-long insurgency waged by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces, foreigners and non-local Pakistanis and kidnap government officials. Militants last month stormed a mining project site of Pakistani company National Resources Private Limited (NRL) in Chagai, killing 10.
Sharif arrived in Balochistan’s provincial capital Quetta Tuesday for a day-long visit. The premier met the provincial leadership and chaired a meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee to review security matters.
“The prime minister directed the deployment of Frontier Corps in the Rakhshan Division of Balochistan,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
“The prime minister said that this would establish a corridor for the protection of minerals in Balochistan,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) added.
The statement said the security corridor would include additional wings of the paramilitary Frontier Corps, security checkpoints at highways, a surveillance grid and border posts.
Sharif noted that Pakistan is rich in natural resources, particularly minerals, stressing the need to provide security in the conflict-riddled province.
“Providing a secure environment in Balochistan is essential to maintain the confidence of local and international companies working on mineral-related projects in the country,” he said.
Frequent attacks in Balochistan threats to slow down development work at its copper and gold mines.
Barrick Gold, which owns a 50 percent equity stake in Reko Diq, announced in February that it was reviewing all aspects of the project in February. The company said in April it would slow down Reko Diq’s development and continue its security review through mid-2027.
Pakistan’s information ministry, however, said earlier this month that Barrick Gold reaffirmed its commitment to the project and appreciated Islamabad’s continued support in advancing the initiative.
Ethnic Baloch militant groups that have taken up arms against the state accuse the federal government and military of usurping the mineral resources of the province. Both deny the allegations and have vowed to eliminate militancy from the country.
