TOI correspondent from Washington: In an effort to worm its way back into Washington’s good books,
Pakistan’s hybrid military-civilian leadership flashed glimpses of its purported rare earths bearing mineral wealth during a meeting with US President Donald last week, going by a photo released by the .
Among a dozen photos featured in the White House picture gallery relating to the Shahbaz Sharif- Asim Munir meeting with Trump is one where the duo is showing Trump an open 18x18 inch wooden box with colorful stones presumably bearing some mineral deposits. Two of the larger rocks appear to be bastanzite and monazite clumps that typically bear rare earths elements (REE) such as cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium. Some of the smaller candy-colored pebbles look like gemstones.
Pakistan has long spoken of its vast untapped oil, gas, and mineral ores, some bearing rare earths, mostly in the troubled Balochistan region wracked with insurgency, and also in Khyber-Pakhtoonwa. While none of the mineral deposits are commercially proven or quantified, Pakistan’s leadership showcased the baubles to the US President to highlight collaboration and exploration bids it has signed with a private US firm earlier this month.
The charm offensive also included PM Sharif wearing a lapel pin the had both the US and Pakistani flags, a gesture some Pakistani trolls on social media termed as “embarrassing.”
While there is no direct government-to-government agreement to explore or exploit the mineral wealth, Pakistan's Frontier Works Organization (FWO)—a military-linked engineering and mining entity—signed an MoU on September 8 with the Missouri-based US Strategic Metals (USSM), a private US firm specializing in critical minerals.
The agreement, with an initial funding of $ 500 million from USSM, envisages three phases: Phase 1 (Immediate, 2025–2026) involving export of readily available minerals (e.g., antimony and copper concentrates) to US markets, generating quick revenue. Phase 2 (Medium-term, 2026–2028) involving construction of processing plants and refineries in Pakistan, with technology transfer for REE separation and purification. Phase 3 (Long-term, 2028+), involving large-scale exploration and exploitation, including drilling in high-potential REE belts; and developing 5–10 mining projects.
Islamabad's rare earths gambit with the US — which could cause Pakistan's patron China to burst a blood vessel since it has a stranglehold on rare earths supply to the US — comes on the heels of the its crypto caper, where it used a British-Pakistani entrepreneur to position itself as crypto capital where American businesses with ties to the Trump family could make a fortune.
Rajghatta is author of Kamala Harris: Phenomenal Woman