The biggest Chinese-operated copper and gold mine in Pakistan has warned that a worsening insurgency in the restive province of Balochistan may force it to suspend operations.
“The prevailing law and order situation in the province has severely affected the transportation of essential project cargo,” the managing director of Saindak Metals Limited wrote in a letter to Pakistan’s energy ministry, which was reviewed by the FT and has not been previously reported.
“If this situation continues unabated, the uninterrupted operation of the Saindak Copper-Gold Project may become unsustainable, and there is a serious likelihood that the Project’s operations may be forced to cease within a month owing to the non-availability of essential production materials and logistical support,” added the letter, which was dated June 29.