By Staff Reporter
QUETTA: At least nine people were killed on Wednesday evening when dozens of armed militants stormed a copper and gold exploration site in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, officials said, the latest strike by ethnic separatist groups against the region’s mining industry.
About 40 attackers arrived on motorcycles and other vehicles and overran the Darigwan project operated by National Resources Limited, a Pakistani firm, in the Chagai district, according to a local administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to address the news media. A second senior Chagai administration official, also speaking anonymously, said at least nine employees were killed, including two security guards. A local police official confirmed the details of the assault.
One administration official told Agence France-Presse that 10 people died — seven workers and three security personnel — and added that there were unconfirmed reports that militants may have taken some employees hostage. All nine bodies that were recovered were taken to Prince Fahad Hospital in the nearby town of Dalbandin, officials said.
National Resources Limited, known as NRL, issued a statement late Wednesday acknowledging the attack but making no mention of casualties. The company said security forces, including the paramilitary Frontier Corps, responded promptly, secured the area and began a clearance operation. It said it was coordinating closely with authorities and described the safety and security of its employees and operations as its highest priority.
The firm, a joint venture formed by Lucky Cement, Fatima Fertiliser and Liberty Mills, in which Lucky Cement holds a 33.33 percent equity stake, is exploring copper-gold and lead-zinc deposits in Chagai and has reported significant mineral finds. In its statement, NRL said it remained “fully committed to the development and empowerment of local communities in Balochistan, with a strong focus on improving livelihoods and contributing to economic upliftment.” More than 90 percent of the workforce at the Darigwan site comes from Balochistan, the company noted.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the assault in a statement posted on X. The commission described the dead as “civilians and noncombatants, entitled under all circumstances to protection,” and said the “deliberate targeting” violated fundamental human rights. It urged the state to “conduct an immediate, transparent investigation, hold perpetrators accountable, and take concrete measures to ensure the safety of all civilians.” The group added that the people of Balochistan — “and not armed groups, nor corporate or state interests” — should be the focus of any development in the province.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. Ethnic separatist organizations have sharply increased attacks on mining projects and other infrastructure across Balochistan in recent years. The province, Pakistan’s largest by landmass and its poorest by nearly every measure of education, employment and economic development, holds some of the country’s richest reserves of natural gas and minerals.
Separatists, including the Baloch Liberation Army, the most active armed group in the region, accuse the federal government in Islamabad of exploiting those resources while delivering little benefit to local residents. In February, the BLA carried out a wave of coordinated attacks that killed more than 190 people. Militants have previously singled out workers from outside Balochistan, particularly ethnic Punjabis and Sindhis, labeling them outsiders. The assault on the NRL site comes as Pakistan seeks to attract investment in its mineral sector to generate revenue and jobs in one of its most underdeveloped regions. For the company and local authorities, the violence highlights the persistent tension between resource development and the long-simmering separatist grievances that have shadowed Balochistan for decades.
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