Pakistan minerals forum ends with major investment announcements
Copper and gold discoveries were announced in Chagai, and participants signed 13 agreements and MoUs at the two-day forum.
Pakistan's two-day minerals investment forum ended in Islamabad on Friday, with new copper and gold discoveries announced in Balochistan, the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
More than 10,000 participants from over 60 countries attended the closing day, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited international investors to explore the country's mineral wealth.
Sharif assured investors of investment protection and government support, and called for an end to exporting raw minerals in favour of domestic processing and refining.
"Your safety is our safety," Sharif said, pledging to address investor concerns and facilitate investment in the sector.
He said processing facilities would generate greater economic value, employment, technical expertise and technology transfer.
Sharif cited a Goldman Sachs projection that Pakistan could become the world's sixth-largest economy by 2075, and said he hoped the milestone would come earlier than 2050.
Sharif, accompanied by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, inaugurated the National Minerals Data Centre and the Geological Survey of Pakistan GeoPortal.
The platforms are designed to improve access to geological information, support exploration and reduce uncertainty for investors.
Munir said Pakistan's ambition goes beyond raw exports to developing the full value chain at home, including refining and manufacturing.
He said communities in mineral-rich areas must benefit directly from mining projects, and called for long-term partnerships that create lasting value.
The Frontier Works Organization announced an estimated 350 million tonnes of copper in the Dasht-e-Kain area of Chagai, based on about half of its drilling data analysed so far.
Mari Minerals announced its first-ever gold and copper reserves in Chagai, which have the potential to contain around one billion tonnes of copper and gold.
National Resources Limited announced a $100 million investment in Pakistan's mineral sector.
Federal Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said Pakistan is pushing into critical minerals such as copper, gold, lithium and antimony, and pointed to the Rohri-Nokundi railway as a link to mineral hubs.
OGDC President Ahmed Hayat Lak said execution, technical excellence and transparent policies were vital to turning mineral wealth into lasting economic progress.
Participants signed 13 major agreements and MoUs at an international exhibition, and the forum closed with an invitation to the next event in November 2027.
The government has presented mineral development as a route to economic growth, and the forum served as a major platform for that message to foreign investors.
