QUETTA: Saindak Metals Limited (SML) on Friday paid Rs2.59 billion in royalty to the Balochistan government from the Saindak copper-cum-gold project.

SML Managing Director Muhammad Raziq Sanjrani met Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo and gave him the cheque.

Minister for Finance Engineer Zamrak Piralizai and Minister for Planning and Development Noor Muhammad Dummar were also present on the occasion.

According to SML officials, the cheque was handed over to the chief minister after approval from the company’s board of directors and the federal government under the Aghaz-i-Haqooq-i-Balochistan Package.

“SML has also paid Rs23.02bn to the Balochistan government in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from 2010 till 2022,” an SML press release said.

It said SML and its partner Chinese firm MCC Resource Development Limited had so far paid a total of Rs13.1bn in royalty and Rs1.6bn in CSR to the Balochistan government. A spokesman for SML said that as many as 1,800 people from across the province had been employed at the Saindak project.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2023