Pakistan boosts security at ‘Saindak’ mine after terrorist attacks on supply routes

The security concerns in Balochistan have also raised questions about the future of Barrick Mining's $9 billion Reko Diq gold and copper project.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal government announced that due to the on going tension of terrorist violence in Balochistan increasing security around the Saindak copper and gold mine after violence disrupted supply routes to the site. 

Saindak Metals Limited (SML) Managing Director Raziq Sanjrani rejected a report from the financial times claiming the mine faced possible closure, calling it factually incorrect. He said the mine has operated without interruption for 25 years and that a shutdown simply isn’t on the table.

Sanjrani said the company had requested government assistance in transporting furnace oil to the site after some transporters became hesitant to use certain routes through Balochistan. He added that security agencies have since assured the company that fuel deliveries will continue without disruption.

State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the government received security concerns from the mine’s operator in early July and ordered agencies to strengthen deployment around the site’s facilities, staff, and cargo.

Talal Chaudhry said that provincial authorities and relevant security agencies have been directed to increase protection for all installations, personnel, logistics, and transportation linked to the mine. He said safeguarding projects run by international companies in Pakistan remains a government priority, adding that cargo shipments to the site will receive additional security coverage.

Balochistan, which shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan, is home to several major Chinese backed projects, including the deep water port at Gwadar. According to the earlier financial times report, Saindak’s managing director had warned Pakistan’s energy ministry that operations could become unsustainable within a month if security conditions along supply routes continued to worsen.

The Saindak mine is run by the state owned Metallurgical Corporation of China under a lease agreement extended in 2022. Most of the mine’s output is exported to China. China’s foreign ministry said it was not aware of the specific situation but noted that Beijing would continue working closely with Pakistan to protect Chinese citizens, projects, and institutions operating in the country.

The security concerns in Balochistan have also raised questions about the future of Barrick Mining’s $9 billion Reko Diq gold and copper project, located roughly 50 kilometers from Saindak. Both projects sit in a province that has long faced security challenges, even as it remains central to Pakistan’s mining and infrastructure ambitions, including its partnership with China on several large scale developments.