- Balochistan will strengthen its intelligence network and work closely with companies.
- Shahid Rind says the government takes foreign investment very seriously.
- Barrick says it will “immediately” review its Balochistan project.
KARACHI: Pakistan has decided to strengthen its intelligence network and form a special force to protect mineral-rich Balochistan province and its borders with Iran and Afghanistan, a provincial government official said.
The development, reported by The news quoting Arab newsIt comes days after Canadian giant Barrick Mining Corporation said it planned to “immediately” begin a comprehensive review of all aspects of the multibillion-dollar Reko Diq copper-gold project in Balochistan.
Barrick’s decision came after coordinated attacks by the terrorist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in several districts of Balochistan last Saturday that killed 36 civilians and 22 security personnel. Authorities said they had killed 216 militants in follow-up operations.
“In light of the terrorist developments, the provincial government, along with the security forces, is redesigning the entire security architecture,” Shahid Rind, assistant to Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on political and media affairs, told the conference. Arab News.
“This includes creating a Border Corps dedicated to the mineral-rich area, securing both borders, i.e. Iran and Afghanistan.”
Arab news contacted Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, but he did not respond to questions seeking comment on the matter.
The Balochistan government will also strengthen its intelligence network and work closely with mining companies in the region.
“The Balochistan government takes foreign investment in the province very seriously and considers Reko Diq as the flag bearer of foreign investment,” Rind said.
“The provincial government will do whatever it takes to maintain that.”
The recent attacks have apparently alarmed international investors, especially Barrick, which is developing one of the world’s largest copper and gold mines in Balochistan.
“As we stated in our public documents, Barrick is conducting a review of all aspects of the Reko Diq project, including with respect to the project’s safety provisions, development schedule and capital budget,” a Barrick spokesperson said in response to a request. Arab news email.
In a Feb. 5 statement issued with its fourth-quarter financial results, Barrick said the Reko Diq project “continued to progress construction in the fourth quarter, although in light of a recent increase in safety incidents, management is currently reviewing all aspects of the project.”
“The review will begin immediately,” the Barrick spokesperson said. “An update will be provided when the review is complete.”
Barrick owns a 50% stake in Reko Diq, along with three Pakistani federal state-owned companies owning 25%, while the Balochistan government holds the remaining 25% of the project.
The project is expected to begin production in 2028 and is critical to Pakistan’s hopes of boosting mineral exports and attracting foreign investment to its underdeveloped mining sector.
Despite growing threats in Balochistan, development linked to the project continues in other parts of the country.
Barrick is expected to start investing in Pakistan’s port infrastructure soon as it prepares for exports.
Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Ltd (PIBT), the country’s first dirty bulk terminal located at Port Qasim in Karachi, will house facilities dedicated to shipping Reko Diq production.
Sharique Azim Siddiqui, executive director of the PIBT, said Arab news This week, Barrick would invest $150 million to build a shed and upgrade other facilities dedicated to handling shipments of copper and gold concentrate once Reko Diq production begins in 2028.
Barrick’s Pakistani subsidiary, Reko Diq Mining Company, last week signed an export agreement with PIBT under which the miner will export 800,000 tonnes of copper and gold concentrate through the terminal in the first phase, doubling the volume in the second phase, according to Siddiqui.
Revived in 2022 after years of legal wrangling, the government sees the Reko Diq project as a transformative investment for Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province.
But persistent militant activity and increasing attacks on security forces, state institutions and infrastructure have raised concerns among investors.
The latest attacks, one of the deadliest outbreaks in Balochistan in recent years, have sparked large-scale security operations across the province as authorities continue their hunt for militant facilitators.
Siddiqui said the recent rise in militancy in Balochistan remains a concern for them.
“Security challenges have always been present in Pakistan. Investors realize that, we take it in our stride and hope for the best,” Siddiqui said.
“If there is no security for the movement of cargo, that will harm the [Reko Diq] project and harm everyone.”
