WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s strategic and economic partnership with the United States is entering a new phase, as both sides advance toward implementing a landmark deal for the export of rare earth minerals — a sector that could reshape the country’s industrial future.
The development follows the first consignment of mineral samples dispatched to the US by US Strategic Metals (USSM) in collaboration with Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), marking a major step toward operationalising the September memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two partners.
The consignment reportedly includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium — key components in high-tech industries ranging from electronics to renewable energy.
In a statement, USSM hailed the shipment as “a milestone in the Pakistan–US strategic partnership,” noting that the MoU “establishes a roadmap for cooperation across the entire mineral value chain — from exploration and processing to the establishment of refineries inside Pakistan.”
USSM CEO Stacy W. Hastie said the first delivery “opens an exciting chapter of collaboration between USSM and Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation, aimed at expanding trade and deepening friendship between our two countries.”
For Islamabad, the agreement could serve as a gateway into the global critical minerals economy, with the potential to generate billions of dollars in revenue, create new jobs, and attract technology transfer. Pakistan’s mineral wealth is estimated at nearly $6 trillion, ranking it among the world’s most resource-rich nations.
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For Washington, the partnership offers access to key raw materials while diversifying supply chains and reducing reliance on global monopolies.
PTI demands disclosure of ‘secret deals’
However, opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has raised strong objections, demanding transparency regarding what it called “secret and lopsided” agreements with the United States.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram called on the government to “disclose full details of all such deals,” warning that “reckless and secretive arrangements would further inflame the already volatile situation in the country.”
Referring to both the USSM shipment and claims reported by the Financial Times regarding an alleged offer of the Pasni Port to Washington, Mr Akram said such moves were “deeply reminiscent of historical misjudgments” that compromised national sovereignty.
“The government should remember the disastrous consequences of Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s 1615 decision to grant trading rights to the British at Surat — a move that paved the way for colonial domination,” he remarked.
He added that PTI “would never accept any agreement struck at the expense of the people and the state’s interests,” insisting that Parliament must be taken into confidence.
Military sources, however, have dismissed the Financial Times report, describing the Pasni Port reference as a “commercial proposal” rather than an official policy initiative.
Mr Akram also alleged that the visible rift between the PPP and PML-N was part of a “calculated plan” to divert public attention from economic mismanagement and national security concerns.