Overview

• On August 17, Army chief Asim Munir publicly claimed Balochistan’s Reko Diq deposit could yield $2 billion in net annual profits starting next year to help pare Pakistan’s debt.
• Independent geological estimates put the site’s reserves at about 12.3 million tonnes of copper and over 20 million ounces of gold but foresee commercial production only by 2028.
• Munir signaled a strategy of balanced foreign partnerships, highlighting recent US interest in critical minerals alongside China’s established CPEC investments.
• Prominent Baloch separatists, led by Mir Yar Baloch, have denounced federal mining plans as exploitative, underscoring ongoing security and legitimacy challenges in the province.
• Analysts caution that technical hurdles, regulatory approvals and regional instability make Munir’s accelerated profit timeline appear premature without clearer project roadmaps.