ISLAMABAD/CHAGAI: Pakistan said on Wednesday it was stepping up security around a Chinese-run copper and gold mine in Balochistan after insurgent violence disrupted supply routes, and the mine’s operator denied a report that the project could be forced to shut down.
Saindak Metals Limited’s managing director, Raziq Sanjrani, called the closure report, first published by the Financial Times, factually incorrect.
Sanjrani said the Saindak Project has remained fully operational for the past 25 years and there is no possibility of its shutdown.
Sanjrani explained that the company had approached the relevant government authorities to facilitate the smooth transportation of furnace oil to the project after some transporters expressed reservations and reluctance about operating on routes in some parts of Balochistan.
He added that the relevant security agencies have assured the company of the necessary support to help ensure the uninterrupted supply of furnace oil to the project.
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said Islamabad had received the mine operator’s security concerns in early July and ordered agencies to increase deployment around its installations, personnel and cargo.
“We have directed the provincial authorities and all concerned security agencies to beef up deployment for all of their installations, personnel, logistics and transportation,” Chaudhry told Reuters. “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. 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 (601618.SS), opens new tab 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 that Beijing would work with its close partner Pakistan to protect Chinese citizens, projects and institutions in the country.
