Pakistan sits on $7tr mineral trove, claims planning minister

Dawn reported that Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan's mineral resources are worth over $7 trillion. The remarks came during a discussion with Farwa Amin, who leads South Asian initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, and were outlined in a planning ministry statement released on Tuesday. Iqbal argued that large mining projects demand heavy upfront spending and long waiting periods before returns arrive.

He added that political instability keeps international resource developers away, even though macroeconomic conditions have improved. Islamabad is now courting foreign investors, including American companies, through an MoU with US Strategic Metals, possible EXIM financing and involvement in critical-minerals ministerial forums.

Iqbal also addressed the Indus Waters Treaty, which India has put on hold unilaterally, calling the move a fresh security challenge in which water could become leverage. He said Pakistan is building reservoirs, and the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams would add about six million acre-feet of storage once finished. He also described China as a trusted partner that helped during the energy crisis through the first phase of CPEC, bringing roughly $25 billion in investment.