Pakistan pledges more security for China-run copper, gold mine after shutdown warning

Pakistan has pledged extra security for its largest operating Chinese-run copper and gold mine after the operator warned that deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan could force it to halt production within a month, a senior minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

The warning from Saindak Metals Limited, the joint venture behind the Saindak mine in Balochistan province, highlights growing security risks for Chinese investments in Pakistan’s mineral-rich southwest, where terrorist attacks have intensified.

“We have directed the provincial authorities and all concerned security agencies to beef up deployment for all of their installations, personnel, logistics and transportation,” Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told Reuters.

Chaudhry said the interior ministry received the mine operator’s concerns in early July.

“It is our priority to safeguard all projects run by international companies in Pakistan,” he said, adding that logistics and cargo shipments to the site would receive additional security protection.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, hosts several major Chinese-backed projects, including the deep-water port of Gwadar.

Reko Diq project: Barrick team arrives to assess security & procurement

The Financial Times reported earlier on Wednesday that Saindak’s managing director had warned Pakistan’s energy ministry that operations could become unsustainable within a month because deteriorating security conditions were disrupting supply routes.

The Saindak mine is operated by the state-owned Metallurgical Corporation of China under a lease extended in 2022, and exports most of its output to China.

China’s foreign ministry said it was unaware of the situation but reiterated Beijing’s close ties with Islamabad.

“China and Pakistan are staunch friends and all-weather strategic partners,” a ministry spokesperson said, adding that Beijing would work with Pakistan to protect Chinese citizens, projects and institutions in the country.

The unrest in Balochistan has also clouded the outlook for Barrick Mining’s $9 billion Reko Diq gold and copper project, located about 50 km (31 miles) from Saindak.

On July 9, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in a press conference, informed that Balochistan had witnessed three major terrorist attacks in four days, followed by security operations in Ziarat, Kharan and Dalbandin, in which 42 civilians and security personnel embraced martyrdom and 54 terrorists had been killed since July 5.