Balochistan’s mining needs global vision to be a game-changer – by Jan Achakzai (International The News – March 28, 2022)

https://www.thenews.com.pk/

Pakistan’s western border all along boasts rich mineral resources because of geological blessings of nature.

The mountains along the border which are shared by Iran and Afghanistan have in their bosom “the booty of mineral resources”. It is not only a prize from the Almighty for Pakistan but also the geological makeup of earth in the form of various mountain ranges lying on this axis. Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan all have copper, gold, iron, lead and granite, fluoride, chromite and marble (metallic and non-metallic resources).

Metals (copper, gold, iron and lead) in largest quantities are available only in Balochistan, whereas stones (non-metallic) are sufficiently available in KP too, and presently mining at a large-scale (of a non-metallic kind) is mostly taking place in KP.

At an individual level, mining of chromite, fluoride, granite and marble is also being done in Balochistan at a good scale.However, Reko Diq stands apart from all other places because of its metallic resources and its colossal quantity (billions of tons of copper and gold).

This deal of Reko Diq is considered to be a game-changer if it is materialised methodically. Alongside this, there are at least four more deposits of this level available in this area whose licences have been approved.

For the rest of this article: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/945236-balochistan-s-mining-needs-global-vision-to-be-a-game-changer