ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Foreign investors have expressed keen interest in Pakistan’s mineral projects at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026, which continued for a second day in Islamabad with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir also in attendance.
Islamabad has become a centre of attention for international investors, with foreign delegates actively participating in the forum and expressing interest in investment opportunities in Pakistan’s mineral sector.
Addressing the forum, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said the government was promoting road connectivity to support the development of the mineral sector. He said infrastructure development between Chagai and Gwadar was underway to improve access to mineral resources.
He said the government was encouraging public-private partnerships to accelerate growth in the sector and ensure better utilisation of mineral resources through private-sector participation.
Ali Pervaiz Malik added that the private sector was being facilitated to invest in the mineral industry, while the government was focusing on digital mapping to ensure accurate identification of the country’s mineral resources.
Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal said Pakistan offered vast investment opportunities in its mineral sector and the government was providing investors with all possible facilities.
He said details of Pakistan’s trade relations with more than 90 countries were available on an online portal, while new businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could benefit from tariff concessions under preferential trade agreements.
Kamal said importers could use the portal to check HS codes and available duty concessions. He added that tariff reductions and facilitation in the duty structure would lower the cost of importing technology and products, giving businesses in Pakistan a competitive advantage.
He said critical minerals were essential for modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, electricity generation, data centres and renewable energy. Solar panels, jet engines, and the defence and medical sectors also relied on these minerals, he added.
The commerce minister stressed the need for cooperation and coordination among stakeholders in the mineral sector, noting that mining, processing and utilisation involved different stages.
He said the process required mining followed by smelting, processing and value addition, adding that the entire value chain needed to be developed to obtain rare earth elements from mineral resources.