New Delhi, Jan 2 The US government’s recent announcement of a $1.25 billion financial package for extracting copper and gold from the Reko Diq mining project in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province was seen by state officials as a sign of international confidence in investing in the country. However, for the Baloch population, it feels like yet another moment when the world chooses minerals over human lives, according to an article in EU Today.
The announcement was preceded by visits of Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Washington for meetings with President Donald Trump, where they offered Pakistan’s mineral wealth to win US support for their geopolitical game plan.
The article points out that Balochistan remains one of the most militarised and politically suppressed regions in South Asia. For decades, Balochistan has witnessed enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture, mass arrests, and operations carried out by Pakistan’s armed forces that have devastated entire communities.
In an environment where human rights are trampled, the claim of consent for large-scale mining projects by the "so-called provincial government" becomes deeply questionable, the article stated.
“International law is clear: all peoples have the right to self-determination and permanent sovereignty over their natural resources. These principles are meant to prevent exploitation under coercive conditions. Yet in Balochistan, natural wealth - gold, copper, gas, and now, antimony is extracted under heavy military presence, with minimal consultation and little visible benefit for local communities. Agreements reached in fear cannot be called fair; they are imposed, not negotiated," the article observed.
The article highlighted that any talk of development has no meaning when people do not have any democratic rights and have to live under the surveillance of a repressive regime.
"This is why US and other foreign investments in Reko Diq raise serious ethical concerns. Without binding human rights conditions, transparency, and independent monitoring, such financing risks turning international actors into silent partners in repression," it stated.
What is labelled "investment" by governments is seen by many Baloch people as an endorsement of their suffering and driving home the message that "Balochistan’s minerals matter more than Baloch lives", the article observed.
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