Pakistan and the United States have entered a new phase in their strategic and economic partnership as both countries move to implement a landmark agreement on the export of rare earth minerals, the Dawn reported.
According to the report, US Strategic Metals (USSM), which signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pakistan in September, has dispatched its first consignment of mineral samples to the United States. The shipment includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium.
The American firm plans to invest nearly $500 million to establish mineral processing and development facilities in Pakistan in collaboration with the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).
Sources in Washington reportedly told Dawn that the shipment marks “a crucial step” toward integrating Pakistan into the global critical minerals supply chain, an industry vital for industrial growth and national security.
“A Milestone in the Pakistan-US Strategic Partnership”
In a statement, USSM described the first 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 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.”
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According to Dawn, the agreement could grant Pakistan a stronger position in the global critical minerals market, potentially generating billions in revenue, creating jobs, and fostering technology transfer. Pakistan’s untapped mineral reserves are estimated to be worth around $6 trillion, placing it among the world’s richest in natural resources.
For the United States, the collaboration provides greater access to essential raw materials while reducing dependency on dominant external suppliers that currently control global mineral markets.
PTI Raises Concerns Over “Secret Deals”
Pakistan’s opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has voiced strong reservations about the deal. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram called on the government to disclose the full details of what he termed “secret deals” with Washington.
Referring to the USSM shipment and a recent Financial Times report alleging a proposal to offer Pasni Port to the United States, Akram said such “reckless, lopsided, and secretive agreements would further inflame the already volatile situation in the country.”
He demanded that parliament and the public be taken into confidence, adding that PTI “would never accept agreements struck at the expense of the people and the state’s interests.”
Meanwhile, military sources told Dawn that the Financial Times claims were false, clarifying that the proposal mentioned in the report was “a commercial idea” and not an official policy.
Drawing a historical parallel, Akram warned the government to “learn from the disastrous consequences of Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s 1615 decision to grant trading rights to the British at Surat Port, which ultimately led to colonial control.”
Amid ongoing political friction between the PPP and the PML-N, Akram also alleged that their disputes were “a well-thought-out plan to divert public attention from chronic national issues.”
