Experts urge for responsible mining
KARACHI: Experts have urged for responsible mining as Pakistan eyes a new minerals economy when Renewables First brought together leading experts in a landmark webinar on “Building Pakistan’s Mineral Economy” to outline how the country can turn its vast mineral wealth into a driver of jobs, investment, and industrial growth.
Minerals Sector Gains Momentum
With Pakistan’s minerals sector gaining fresh momentum after the Reko Diq Project and the government’s push for resource-led growth, the discussion focused on reforms, investment barriers, and responsible mining standards that could help bring new mining investments.
Moderation & Key Discussions
The discussion was moderated by Dr Umer Farooq, Senior Advisor – Critical Minerals & Energy Policy at Renewables First. Participants explored fiscal frameworks, mining standards, and harmonisation policies, noting that Pakistan now has an opportunity to attract new investments. It was agreed that credible data, best practices, community engagement, and clear standards for responsible mining will be essential to realise Pakistan’s mineral potential.
Financing & the Reko Diq Project
Kamran Ahmad, Partner, Energy and Infrastructure Finance & Project Development, White & Case LLP emphasised the importance of an enabling environment for global financing in mining projects.
Citing the Reko Diq Project as a “game changer,” Kamran Ahmad noted: “It overlays the national laws and environmental regulations. The project, being financed, enables other projects to become confident that they will secure funding, because the precedent has been set.”
He also pointed to the harmonisation of minerals project as a milestone that has shaped provincial legislative frameworks and created a level playing field for future mining ventures.
Addressing Data Scarcity
Addressing the challenge of data scarcity, Dr Hamid Ashraf, Team Lead Minerals Cell at Ministry of Energy, stated: “Investment attractiveness in a country is directly proportional to the completeness and the effective showcasing of that enabling geological data.”
He added that this data will be a cornerstone for discussions at the next Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum (PMIF 2026), scheduled for April next year. He also announced the upcoming inauguration of the ISO-certified Geo-science Advance Research Laboratories and highlighted GSP’s plan to identify all critical minerals in Pakistan.
Standards, Capacity Building & Community Engagement
Marium Khalid, Head of Legal, Punjab Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency (PEECA), underscored the need for long-term standards, capacity building, and inclusivity. Referring to a project, Marium noted: “To train the Pakistani workforce they didn’t want to train just the engineers, they wanted to ensure they had lawyers, they wanted to ensure they had people with financial backgrounds, they wanted to ensure they had people with sustainability backgrounds.”
She added that community engagement must be carried out at every step in new mining partnerships to secure local support and ensure social licencing.