Sharif and Munir under fire over ‘secret deal’ with US; What is the deal and why is Pakistani govt on defensive? Read here

New Delhi: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal General Asim Munir, who recently returned from a ‘rare earth mineral agreement’ with the US, are facing backlash at home. This deal is being labelled a secret deal in Pakistan, and serious allegations are being levelled against the Pakistani government. Reportedly, Pakistan recently sent its first shipment of rare earth minerals to the US.

Pakistan’s $500 million contract with American company

Pakistan made this delivery under a $500 million contract with an American company. According to a report in Pakistan’s English-language newspaper, Dawn, the shipment includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium. The agreement was signed last month between the American company US Strategic Metals (USSM) and Pakistan’s military engineering arm, the Frontier Works Organization (FWO). Under this agreement, USSM will invest approximately $500 million in mineral processing and development facilities in Pakistan.

Uproar over Secret Deal

However, this deal has sparked controversy in Pakistan. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has called it a “secret agreement” and demanded that the government make all details public. Critics say such agreements could undermine Pakistan’s sovereignty and national interests. Sheikh Waqas Akbar, Information Secretary of Imran Khan’s party, said the government should disclose to Parliament and the public all details of all “secret agreements” signed with American companies and the United States. The party argues that such agreements could be against national interest, especially given reports claiming that Pakistan is considering granting the US access to Pasni Port in Balochistan.

PTI has stated that such “unilateral and secret deals” could further worsen the country’s already fragile economic and political situation. PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akbar said his party would not accept any agreement that was against the interests of the people or the country.