Ahmed Khan Malik

Balochistan’s mines have a huge potential; however, they have not been exploited so far to benefit the province and its people, according to people associated with the mine sector. Talking to WealthPK, Fateh Shah Arif, General Secretary of All Pakistan Mines and Mineral Association (APMMA), said Balochistan has the potential to develop its mine sector but due to various reasons like the lack of social justice, skilled labor and support from the government, the potential has not been realized. He stressed the need to enhance the stakeholders’ engagement, particularly in the informal sectors. He said the sector’s capacity building was a key area needing utmost attention.

In this regard, an International Labour Organization (ILO)-sponsored program has been initiated towards building the capacity and raising awareness in the mine owners and members of the APMMA. Dr. Faisal Iqbal, National Project Coordinator of the ILO, shed light on promoting decent work for all, creating labor rights advocacy, technical support, research, data collection, social dialogue, and capacity building initiatives to identify how the ILO's involvement could help the mine owners in Khuzdar, Loralai, Chagai, and Quetta to deal with the issue of forced and child labor effectively. He said the deteriorating condition of mines and the mining society in many major areas of Balochistan needed a focused attention in order to rejuvenate the socio-economic conditions of the province to sustainable practices.

Balochistan houses large reserves of copper and gold, with estimated reserves of 412 million tons in Saindak and 5.87 billion tons in Reko Diq. Huge reserves of coal estimated to be around 217 million tons are in Duki, Harnai, Degrai, Mach, Ziarat, Chamalang and Quetta, while 273 million tons are reported in reserves of iron deposits. It is estimated that the mining industry currently employs over 70000 people and could generate an additional 50000 jobs. The majority of labour forces engaged in coal mining comprises of people from outside the province.

Credit: INP-WealthPk