Pak wants US, UK to dig gold in Balochistan. Will rebels let them?

Battered by its precarious economy, Pakistan says foreign investments in its largely untapped minerals sector could be the country’s ticket to growth and prosperity.Pakistan's extensive copper and gold reserves are situated in Reko Diq, a district in the volatile Balochistan province, which has witnessed a surge in attacks by Baloch separatists in recent years, including a bloody train hijack incident last month that left scores dead.Pakistan's influential army chief, Gen Asim Munir, recently assured foreign companies and investors at a summit that the military would ensure their security. However, the question remains: is this guarantee feasible?Beijing, for example, has repeatedly asked its “iron brother” Islamabad to ensure security for its workers engaged in the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following multiple attacks by militants.So much so that China has suggested sending its own troops to help Pakistan manage security at project sites although Islamabad is yet to approve of the proposal.Given the situation, can the Shehbaz Sharif government really convince foreign companies to pitch tents in Balochistan? medium nocaption120209055How Pakistan is trying to woo foreign investors Islamabad on April 8 claimed some US companies had shown interest in investing in its minerals sector. The federal government said Eric Meyer, Senior Bureau Official for the US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, conveyed that interest directly to Prime Minister Sharif.The meeting came a day after Meyer attended the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum — an international summit aimed at attracting foreign investment in the country’s mining sector. Major international companies, including Canada-based Barrick Gold, as well as government officials from the US, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan among others, participated in the event, the Associated Press reports.Addressing the summit, army chief Gen Munir stressed that economic security has become a vital pillar of national security, and the military is ready to play its role in supporting the development of Pakistan’s mineral wealth.“To unlock Pakistan’s mineral wealth, we need engineers, geologists, operators, and skilled miners,” he was quoted as saying by The News International. He also highlighted that 27 students from Balochistan are currently undergoing specialised training in mineral exploration in Zambia and Argentina as part of efforts to build a skilled domestic workforce for the sector.However, Pakistan’s promise of “inclusive development” in Balochistan has found few takers in the southwestern province, where local resentment towards the federal government is growing significantly over a number of issues. &lt;iframe title="94% of fatalities in 2024 were reported in KP and Balochistan" aria-label="Grouped Columns" id="datawrapper-chart-7X8Sl" src="https://vct.ikan3.com/4xj4748_6ifxdf-flqduimkbfgc/indiatimes.com/graphs/7X8Sl/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="714" data-external="1"> !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Why locals are angry and unhappy Pakistan's largest yet sparsely populated province, Balochistan has long struggled with marginalisation. Local organisations argue that Pakistan is exploiting the province's abundant natural resources while sidelining its indigenous communities, depriving them of basic necessities like clean drinking water, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities. This deep-rooted mistrust has fueled years of protests, insurgency, and armed resistance from Baloch militant groups, who perceive these mining projects as a modern-day form of colonial exploitation. These groups have issued strong warnings and launched several attacks targeting security forces and foreign workers in recent years, insisting that the wealth of Balochistan is being extracted without the consent of its people. The federal government, which has tried to quell the violence, also faces allegations of enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings of activists, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens. Security nightmare for Pak army The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is the primary resistance group, classified as a terrorist organization by both Pakistan and the US. It opposes the Pakistani government and seeks to establish an independent state encompassing parts of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The BLA frequently targets security forces in Balochistan and, at times, in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and economic center in the neighbouring Sindh province. The group's confidence grew after the Pakistani Taliban broke a ceasefire with the government in November 2022, instructing its fighters to restart their attacks on the military. In March this year, BLA made global headlines when it hijacked a passenger train with about 400 people onboard. The Pakistani military claimed at least 31 people, including civilians and security personnel, besides 33 militants, were killed in the action. However, the BLA disputed these figures claiming that it took 214 hostages, mainly men in uniform, and killed them all. In September 2024, BLA launched a series of armed assaults resulting in over 70 fatalities. Nearly half of those killed were Punjabi workers. The Baloch people resent the influx of Punjabis who are seen as having benefited from economic opportunities arising in Balochistan at the expense of the locals. medium nocaption118819193Why US, Canada may not follow in China’s footsteps Massive Chinese-led infrastructure projects are one of the factors driving the unrest with separatists accusing the federal government of exploiting Balochistan’s oil and mineral wealth for its own benefit, while neglecting the local population. Thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan, most of them involved in CPEC projects, part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that connects south and central Asia with the Chinese capital. At least 21 Chinese workers have lost their lives since CPEC projects began almost a decade ago. Additionally, the Pakistani Taliban, which mostly operates in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), regularly targets Chinese workers engaged in infrastructure projects. China has invested close to $65 billion in Pakistan under CPEC, according to the Pakistan Planning Commission. But local opposition, especially in Balochistan, has grown stronger, with indigenous communities accusing the government of excluding them from the benefits of these investments. China, being the closest ally of Pakistan, has taken significant risks by investing money and manpower in CPEC projects. But Western countries like the US, the UK and Canada may insist on security guarantees before announcing any major business decisions. How soon Pakistan can turn Balochistan into an investor-friendly region is a million-dollar question. With inputs from agencies | Lead illustration: Gaurav Kumra/AI