US firms to invest $500m to develop Pakistan’s minerals

MoU signing yet another example of strong US-Pakistan ties: US Embassy.

ISLAMABAD  –  Renowned US companies will initially invest five hundred million dollars in Pakistan’s criti-cal minerals sector. In this connection, a high-level US delegation, including United States Strategic Metals (USSM) and Mota-Engil companies, met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Federal Ministers were also present in the meeting. The delegation is visiting Pakistan to explore opportunities for expansion of min-ing operations in Pakistan and assess potential for value addition in mineral resources and development of supporting infrastructure.

During its meetings with the Prime Minister, the Army Chief, and federal ministers, the del-egation was briefed on Pakistan’s vast mineral reserves, including copper, gold, and rare earth elements. The visiting companies expressed readiness to invest in establishing val-ue-addition facilities within the country, enhancing mineral processing capacity, and de-veloping large-scale infrastructure projects linked to the mining sector.

In this context, two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) focusing in development and processing of critical minerals, including rare earth elements, and logistics services were signed between the two governments.

The Frontier Works Organisation signed a landmark MoU with United States Strategic Metals, a leading processor, recycler, and miner based in St. Louis, Missouri. The agree-ment establishes a framework for collaboration across a range of critical minerals essen-tial for the defense, aerospace, and technology industries.

The partnership will begin immediately with the export of readily available minerals from Pakistan, including antimony, copper, gold, tungsten, and rare earth elements. This coop-eration lays the foundation for scaling up towards the establishment of a USSM proprie-tary, highly flexible poly-metallic refinery in Pakistan. The refinery will produce intermediate and finished products dedicated to meeting the rapidly growing demand of the US market. This collaboration further strengthens the enduring bilateral relationship between Pakistan and the United States, while unlocking new opportunities for sustainable growth, technol-ogy transfer, and job creation.

The next steps for the MoU include forming dedicated teams to explore the full potential of Pakistan’s vast resource base, identifying critical minerals for immediate export, and build-ing an anchor position for a long-term partnership in exploration, extraction, and pro-cessing. Importantly, the cooperation will prioritize sustainability, profitability, and environ-mental responsibility to ensure benefits for the people of both nations.

In addition, both parties will also explore innovative financing and digital solutions such as tokenisation of critical minerals, enabling global investors to participate in Pakistan’s min-eral wealth and further accelerating transparency, liquidity, and value creation across the sector.

Similarly, the National Logistics Corporation of Pakistan signed an MoU with Mota-Engil Group which is a global leader in engineering and construction is actively working new opportunities to expand its footprint across West Asia.

The current survey of opportunities in Pakistan aims to identify priority markets where Mo-ta-Engil can align with government visions and private sector initiatives.

The Group seeks to build long-term partnerships that leverage its global know-how while creating value locally through job creation, technology transfer, and sustainable develop-ment. The signing of these MoUs marks milestone in Pakistan’s efforts to attract global in-vestment in the mining and logistics sectors.

Meanwhile, US Embassy in Islamabad Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Zach Harkenrider accompanied a delegation led by U.S. Strategic Metals (USSM) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organization (FWO) at Prime Minister House on Monday.  

Speaking about the MoU signing, Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) Natalie Baker said, “This signing is yet anoth-er example of the strength of the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship that will benefit both countries.”   

USSM, based in the U.S. state of Missouri, is focused on producing and recycling critical minerals, which the U.S. Department of Energy has defined as essential in a variety of technologies related to ad-vanced manufacturing and energy production.  

Speaking about the importance of such bilateral agreements, CDA Baker added, “The Trump admin-istration has made the forging of such deals a key priority given the importance of critical mineral re-sources to American security and prosperity.  

We look forward to seeing future agreements between U.S. companies and their counterparts in the critical minerals and mining sector in Pakistan.”

PM directs NDMA to expedite flood relief operations

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to expedite ongoing relief operations and ensure complete prepared-ness for potential flood situations due to rising water levels in the rivers.

The prime minister, chairing a meeting to review ongoing rescue and relief operations in flood-hit areas, instructed to ensure early warnings and timely evacuation measures for populations near rivers and areas at risk.

The NDMA chairman briefed the prime minister on the current situation of flooding in riv-ers, the status of rising water level in rivers, and the relief operations for flood-affected people across the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the NDMA to maintain full co-ordination with provincial governments and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities.

He also instructed to intensify the search for missing persons in the flood-hit areas

The prime minister was also briefed on the displacement of people due to floods and the ongoing rescue operations.

The participants of the meeting were apprised of the severe flooding conditions in the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers at Trimmu Barrage, Panjnad Barrage, Head Balloki, Head Sidhnai, Ganda Singh Wala, Head Sulemanki, and Head Islam. It was told that the con-voys of relief goods were being continuously sent to the flood-affected areas.