ISLAMABAD – Pakistani government has made a $500 million deal with a major American firm, US Strategic Metals (USSM), to tap into the country’s untapped treasure trove of minerals.
The high-profile signing at the Prime Minister’s House brought together top US and Pakistani officials, signaling a bold new chapter in bilateral ties. Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Zach Harkenrider and a USSM-led team inked the MoU with Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), with both sides calling it a game-changer.
“This partnership is proof of the powerful bond between our nations,” declared US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker, adding that critical minerals hold the key to America’s security and prosperity in the modern age.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Pakistan sits on vast reserves of copper, gold, rare earth elements, and other critical minerals, resources that global powers are racing to control. Under this deal, Pakistan will not only export antimony, tungsten, gold, and copper but also push forward with value-added processing and infrastructure development.
Adding to the drama, a second MoU was signed between Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation and the global giant Mota-Engil Group, opening the door to massive investments in construction, logistics, and technology transfer.
Insiders say this is just the first phase of an international scramble for Pakistan’s minerals, with $500 million already on the table and much more expected.
The deal follows a string of warming relations between Washington and Islamabad, including tariff cuts and energy cooperation. Analysts believe Pakistan is now emerging as a critical player in the global minerals race, positioning itself as a supplier of the raw materials that power the world’s most advanced technologies.
