ISLAMABAD: Provincial governments on Thursday assured domestic and international investors of security, investment incentives and streamlined approval processes as Pakistan sought to attract investment in its largely untapped mineral resources at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026.
The assurances were given during a provincial leadership session titled “Provincial Prospectivity to Prosperity” at the two-day forum, which brought together representatives from more than 60 countries, over 5,000 attendees and 122 exhibitors on its opening day.
Provincial leaders presented their respective mineral resources, investment opportunities and policy measures, emphasising that local communities would be included in mining activities and benefit from employment, infrastructure development and economic opportunities.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti assured investors of a secure environment and invited them to partner with the provincial government in developing the province’s mineral and energy resources.
He said the provincial government had established a separate security division for the Mineral Corridor to protect investors and mining projects. He also stressed that local communities must be included in development initiatives and said the government was committed to removing bureaucratic hurdles.
Bugti highlighted the Reko Diq copper-gold project and referred to potential oil and gas developments in Sarona. He said the provincial government was also planning to establish a fertiliser city in Sui to utilise the area’s low-BTU gas resources.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced financial incentives, interest-free loans and one-window facilities to encourage investment in mineral exploration, mining and value addition.
She said Punjab’s revenue from the Mines and Minerals Department had increased from Rs10 billion to Rs40 billion in two and a half years.
She outlined measures including concessional land leases, financing of up to Rs5 billion with the provincial government bearing the interest cost, and incentives for eligible investors in designated industrial estates. She added that the government was digitising mining operations and introducing drone-based monitoring to improve transparency.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah invited domestic and international investors to explore the province’s mineral wealth, saying Sindh had identified 27 minerals and was promoting scientific exploration, responsible mining and value addition.
He described Thar coal as the province’s major mineral asset and highlighted public-private partnerships and Chinese cooperation in developing the resource. He also referred to the participation of local communities, including women, in mining operations and related economic activities.
Shah said the provincial government had prepared preliminary feasibility studies for identified minerals and was seeking investors to develop commercially viable projects. He also highlighted the province’s regulatory framework, open auction process for mineral concessions and Sindh Business One Stop Shop portal.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi invited domestic and international companies to invest in the province’s mineral sector, assuring them of security and a one-window facilitation system.
He said the establishment of a Mines and Minerals Company for the province was under way and would become operational soon. He also highlighted more than 100 sites identified under a Geological Survey of Pakistan initiative, with 69 sites under process.
Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani said the region possessed significant untapped mineral potential, including ruby, tourmaline, topaz, granite, coal and bauxite.
He invited companies with expertise in high-altitude mining to explore investment opportunities and said the government was aligning its mining legislation with the regulatory framework being developed across the country.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar inaugurated the forum and its international exhibition, describing Pakistan as a competitive destination for mineral exploration and investment.
He said mineral development had been made a strategic national economic priority under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership, adding that the sector could diversify exports, strengthen the industrial base and mobilise domestic and international investment.
Dar highlighted Pakistan’s copper and gold potential along the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt, as well as deposits of iron ore, chromite, lead, zinc, coal, rock salt, marble, gypsum and gemstones.
He cited the Reko Diq copper-gold project as an example of international collaboration, national participation and provincial ownership.
The Deputy Prime Minister also stressed that mineral development should generate local employment, skills, infrastructure and wider economic benefits while maintaining environmental standards.
Federal Secretary for Petroleum Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh said the government was working with provincial administrations and federal institutions to make the mineral sector more transparent, predictable and investor-friendly.
He said the Reko Diq project and several other projects were ready for investment, while Pakistan was pursuing new exploration opportunities and partnerships in copper, gold and other critical minerals.
The forum continues on Friday, November 13, with further discussions, strategic announcements and the unveiling of the National Mineral Data Centre, Geological Survey of Pakistan Geoportal and Agreement Exchange initiative.
