Gold reserves, precious stones, and minerals: Where are Pakistan’s ‘trillion-dollar’ resources hidden?

Pakistan’s property: Within the dry and dusty Chagai build of dwelling of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, one of the important important area’s most treasured mineral property are hidden. These encompass great quantities of copper and gold.

Pakistan’s political and military leaders mediate these property can attract billions of bucks in funding. After the discoveries at Reko Diq and Saindak, there are truly new claims of more mineral findings in Chagai. A non-public firm, National Resources Restricted (NRL), which has the contract for mineral exploration in Chagai, says they've found out new reserves of gold and copper in the self-discipline.

At the ‘Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025’ held final week, NRL shared that indicators of minerals were found out in the ‘Tang Ghor’ self-discipline of Chagai. NRL’s head, Muhammad Ali Tabba, talked about worldwide specialists and investors will additionally be part of this big mission.

Throughout the identical occasion, Mari Energies claimed they found out new gasoline and oil reserves in North Waziristan, positioned in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In accordance with them, right here is the fourth discovery in that self-discipline. In trying out, it produced 70 million cubic toes of gasoline and 310 barrels of condensate day-to-day.

Over the 2-day convention, Pakistani and Turkish screech companies signed an agreement to work together for offshore oil and gasoline exploration. Under this agreement, Pakistan’s Mari Energies, OGDCL, and PPL will work with Turkey’s screech firm to win the ocean areas. Officers exclaim these property stayed untapped thanks to administrative complications, safety factors, and absence of center of attention by political leaders.

Nonetheless, final week, the govt. all over again promised to make use of these property to snatch Pakistan’s economy.

The ‘Minerals Convention’ in Islamabad saw participation from over twenty countries, including the US, China, and Saudi Arabia. Traders and delegates attended to win Pakistan’s mineral sector, which the govt. is asking a “trillion-buck sector”. The aim of the convention was to exclaim Pakistan as a important worldwide participant, particularly in serious minerals.

Senior govt and military leaders known as the convention a ‘milestone’ for the economy.
But critics exclaim that right here is now not the principle time Pakistan has promised to turn “stones into gold”.

Sooner than discussing if these promises will happen, it’s important to realise what minerals Pakistan has and where they're found out.

Where are minerals found out in Pakistan?

Pakistan divides minerals into completely different categories. Strategic minerals encompass copper, gold, lithium, uncommon earth minerals, and chromite.

These are ragged in electronics, protection, and green technology, making them extremely treasured for safety and funding.

Vitality minerals luxuriate in coal and uranium are important for electrical energy and nuclear applications.
Industrial minerals comparable to salt, limestone, gypsum, and barite are wished for construction and farming. Precious stones are small nonetheless treasured and relief form money from exports.

Balochistan: The mineral hub

Balochistan, though worried, holds great and important mineral property, thanks to this, it is in general known as “Pakistan’s mineral center”.

Within the Seventies, the Geological Detect of Pakistan (GSP) found out copper and gold at Reko Diq and Saindak. Loads of many years ago, GSP additionally found out indicators of gold reserves in Chagai. Nonetheless, the mission obtained stuck thanks to appropriate and economic complications. Now, below Canadian firm Barrick Gold’s management, work has started again to extract minerals from the self-discipline.

In late 2022, a new agreement was signed. Under it, the Balochistan govt can contain a 25% part, the federal govt 25%, and Barrick Gold 50%. Barrick Gold promised to make investments in the mission and starting up manufacturing by the terminate of this decade. Officers now hope that manufacturing will starting up by 2028.

In accordance with local media, Saudi firm Manara Minerals could also make investments right here. Barrick Gold’s CEO, Place Bristow, talked about that after the 2d phase of Reko Diq is complete, the positioning may fabricate 400,000 hundreds copper yearly. He additionally talked about the increasing worldwide need for copper, for electric autos, green vitality, and electrical energy, can bring great economic advantages to Pakistan.

The Saindak mission, which started after copper and gold had been found on the market in 1973, was Pakistan’s first predominant mining mission. It's estimated that Saindak has several hundred million hundreds raw topic cloth. A Chinese language firm currently operates the mission. Balochistan now not easiest has copper and gold nonetheless additionally many different minerals.

Within the Muslim Bagh build of dwelling of Qila Saifullah, chromite has been mined for hundreds of years. Chromite is important for making stainless-steel. No longer too lengthy ago, claims were made about the presence of lithium and uncommon earth minerals in Chagai and Khuzdar. The governmentconsiders these minerals serious for the future.

Within the 1960s, GSP found out great reserves of barite in Khuzdar. Barite is ragged in oil and gasoline drilling. The identical rock formations additionally contain fluorite deposits terminate to Kalat and Mastung.

In Lasbela, Pakistan’s first stylish lead and zinc mine is found, found out by GSP and developed with Chinese language make stronger. Coal is additionally found out in Sore Differ-Degari, Dukki, Mach, and Khost areas of Balochistan. Though these coal reserves are smaller and now no more important than those in Punjab and Sindh, they've supported local industries and railways for many years. They additionally present jobs to thousands of crew.

Nonetheless, many local folks complain that they build now not salvage an ideal part of the wealth and accuse the authorities of hiding important factors about the initiatives. These complaints contain ended in unrest and anger in Balochistan.

Precious stones in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At the minerals convention held final year, the govt. additionally claimed that fab reserves of gasoline and minerals were found out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Mining is expected to starting up soon. Nonetheless, a new ‘Mines and Minerals Invoice’ about this province created controversy. A scheduled briefing on the invoice was postponed on the orders of worn Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Both the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and opposition events contain raised issues about this invoice. Swat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is well-known round the area for its emeralds. These dazzling green stones are extremely valued in jewelry. Whilst of late, locals search the riverbeds to win vivid emeralds.