PAKISTAN has successfully showcased its potential for exploitation of its vast and rich mineral resources through Pakistan Mineral Investment Forum 2025, which was aimed at attracting foreign investment and long-term partnerships with credible companies.
The forum attracted three hundred delegates from across the globe, who were urged by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to avail the investment-friendly policies of Pakistan in the minerals exploration sector by putting in their investment, technology, research and expertise.
As security has been major hurdle in the way of optimum exploitation of the mineral resources of the country, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir held out a firm assurance to the prospective entrepreneurs that the Pakistan Army would ensure a robust security framework and proactive measures to safeguard the interests and trust of partners and investors.
He legitimately declared that Pakistanis collectively assure their partners and investors that utilizing their expertise for business and mineral wealth extraction is a national aspiration.
The foreign delegates were visibly thrilled by the prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation in the mineral sector as they lauded the level playing field afforded by the policies of the Government of Pakistan, a realization that is expected to go a long way in realizing the dream of attracting foreign investment and modern technology in a big way.
Thanks to the visionary approach of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Pakistan now stands prominently on the global mineral sector map.
In fact, solid beginnings have already been made by sorting out issues hindering development of Reko Diq project, which is attracting investors including Saudi Arabia As pointed out by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, vast resources of rare earth elements, industrial minerals, non-metallic and gemstones, including globally sought-after peridot and emerald.
Anchored in the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt one of the worlds largest copper-gold zones, Pakistan was home to monumental reserves like the Reko Diq.
The project offers a glimpse of the immense potential of the country in the mineral sector as beginning from 2028 it targets 240,000 tons of copper per annum and 300,000 ounces of gold per annum and the production would increase to 400,000 tons per annum of copper and 500,000 ounces per annum of gold during phase two.
It is expected to create approximately 4,000 direct long-term jobs and the number will reach 7,500 during peak operations.
Keeping sensitivities of the local population in view, the Government deserves credit for focusing attention on training of Pakistani youth in relevant disciplines so that they are in a position to benefit from emerging local but lucrative employment opportunities.
Pakistani students are being sent abroad for education and training and presently 27 students were also getting specialized training in mineral exploration in Argentina and Zambia.
The initiative is big but the number is small and federal and provincial governments should join hands in drawing up detailed programmes for large-scale training and education of students in relevant fields in renowned foreign institutions.
In a significant development, on the sidelines of the Investment Forum, Pakistan and Turkiye have signed a landmark joint bidding agreement to explore offshore oil and gas blocks, marking a strategic step to attract foreign investment and technology into Pakistan’s underdeveloped offshore energy sector.
And the National Resources Limited (NRL), a fully Pakistani-owned private company and subsidiary of Fatima Fertiliser, Liberty Mills Limited and Lucky Cement, has announced the discovery of significant copper-gold mineralisation in Chaghai, Balochistan.
The company is collaborating with the Balochistan Government and the SIFC to secure two additional copper-gold exploration licences in Chaghai, backed by a $100 million exploration fund.
It has also signed an MoU with the OGDCL for joint work on newly acquired leases.
There is no denying the fact that well-considered and judicious exploitation of the mineral resources of the country can help it come out of the debt trap but for that to happen we will have to work aggressively to ward off concerns of local population, provide foolproof security to projects and develop a comprehensive plan on war footings for value addition.
