Take it from someone who knows mine planning that Dr Samar Mubarikmund has little idea of what he is talking about.
CALGARY, CANADA: This is with reference to your report of January 14 titled “Reko Diq deal: SC to conduct daily hearings from Feb 11”.
I’m a mining engineer who specialises in strategic long-range mine planning. I’ve worked in some of the most challenging mining environments in the world. Take it from someone who knows mine planning (especially when it comes to open pit mining) that Dr Samar Mubarikmund has little idea of what he is talking about.
If we deny Barrick the opportunity to mine Reko Diq and set up a mining industry in Pakistan, no other mining company will ever come near Pakistan, no matter what its reserves look like. The country is sitting on trillions of dollars worth of untapped resources. Why not use this project as a learning experience and develop talent (operators, mechanics, electricians, etc.) within Pakistan? Even if we somehow got a mining fleet (trucks, shovels, backhoes, dozers, graders etc.) how do we expect a completely green workforce (who probably have never seen a 300-400 ton truck in their lives) to operate them? Who is going to look at the eventual geo-technological issues that will develop as the pit(s) are mined? Who has the experience to deal with such issues from an operations point of view? Are we going to stop operations and fly in a consultant from the US? Or are we going to continue on and let a few operators get killed? Life is no doubt cheap in Balochistan these days. Who is going to teach a green crew to operate safely?
Mustafa Chaudhry
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2011.
