Balochistan Uprising looms on Pakistan’s Critical Minerals Plan
Balochistan National Party president, Sardar Akhtar Mengal (Image credit X.com)
Pakistan Faces Prospects of Civil War with Failing Economy
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, March 19: The Pakistani Army, preoccupied to crush deposed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI, is now stuck in three-front war within the country. The April 9 Critical Minerals Summit now appears doomed as Baloch rebels raise stern warning against foreign investors.
Balochistan is a critical mineral rich province of Pakistan. The Islamic nation is hard selling Balochistan to attract investments from China, the US, Saudi Arabia, and others. But the Balochistan Liberation Army by hijacking the Jaffer Express Train as issued stern warning to foreign investors to stay away from the province.
Saudi Arabia has shown interest to take 15% shares in the Reko Diq copper and gold mining project in Balochistan. Pakistan is hopeful to execute the Reko Diq copper and gold mining project with a total project funding of $4.297 billion. The project is key to Pakistan’s economy which currently is following the diktats of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in lieu of the bailout package.
The Balochistan National Party president, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, in a long post on X on Wednesday spotlighted resource-rich Balochistan for Pakistan. He lamented that the people of Balochistan needs to take permission for fishing.
“It is ironic that many people think Balochistan is limited to Gwadar. Even if you take Gwadar out, Balochistan is still the most resource-rich province in the subcontinent,” Mengal in his post on X.
The BLA chief General Aslam Baloch after the train hijacking warned China to stay away from the Gwadar Port. Beijing is making an investment of almost $50 billion in Balochistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Gwadar Port is the showpiece project of CPEC.
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“Balochistan is the region where gold and copper lie buried in the lands of Reko Diq, worth trillions of dollars,” said Mengal. He added that “if these resources were in the hands of the Baloch people, they might be among the wealthiest in the world today”.
Gold is currently trading at $3026 per ounce. Copper is most fiercely sought after commodity for its usage in electric vehicle. Mengal rued that while “Balochistan gave Pakistan access to sea, Gwadar port and the CPEC, the fishermen of Gwadar still needed permits to fish in their own sea and they were struggling to earn a living.”
The BLA also accuse Pakistan of exploiting Balochistan. With a string of attacks on Pakistani Army, the BLA has asserted its image. The Pakistani Army, battling infighting within after the purge of pro-Imran Khan officers, is also strained with the sinking economy of the Islamic nation.
US President Donald Trump’s war on drug trafficking is also draining the wealth of the Pakistani Army made from partaking in the global trade of Afghanistan-based drugs. The rise of Baloch insurgency has come at the most unsuitable time for the Pakistani Army.
South Asia analysts warn that a sinking economy may spur civil war sentiments in Pakistan. Pakistani Army, they argued, cannot fight on too many fronts within the country.
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