QUETTA (The Thursday Times) — Saudi investors have expressed interest in Balochistan’s minerals, energy, agriculture, and industry, and have offered to help find jobs in the kingdom for skilled workers from the province, the Balochistan government said on Wednesday.
The interest was conveyed by Prince Mansour bin Mohammed Al Saud, chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council, who led a 10-member Saudi business delegation at a meeting with officials from Balochistan’s Board of Investment and Trade.
The provincial side was led by Bilal Khan Kakar, the board’s vice chairman, with the heads of the Balochistan Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority and the Lasbela Industrial Estates Development Authority.
What was on the table
The Saudi delegation was briefed on projects the province describes as ready for investment, including a fertiliser plant using low-BTU gas, a ferrochrome plant, industrial estates in Lasbela, the coastal economy, olive farming, livestock, and projects in the minerals and energy sectors.
Prince Mansour said he was willing to take part in investment-ready projects in Balochistan, according to the provincial officials. He also promised to speed up efforts to create jobs in Saudi Arabia for skilled workers from the province, calling it a special gift to the Balochistan government.
Kakar said the province’s natural resources gave it considerable potential, and that investment in minerals, energy, farming, and industry could create jobs at home. He said the board would help Saudi investors identify projects and work through government departments.
Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti welcomed the delegation and said provincial departments would work to turn the cooperation into practical projects.
A wider push
The meeting comes ahead of the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum, which the government is using to court foreign capital for the country’s mining sector. Balochistan holds much of Pakistan’s known mineral wealth, including the Reko Diq copper and gold deposit in Chagai district.
No agreements or investment figures were announced at the meeting.
