Pak Pushes Rare Earth Deals With Trump

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – A new photo shows President Donald Trump meeting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House on September 25, with the delegation presenting rare earth minerals to Trump.

Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation signed a memorandum of understanding with Missouri-based US Strategic Metals to set up a poly-metallic refinery. NDTV noted that the US firm specializes in producing and recycling critical minerals vital for advanced manufacturing and energy technologies.

Pakistan’s National Logistics Corp also signed an agreement with Portuguese engineering firm Mota-Engil. Sharif’s office said discussions covered Pakistan’s copper, gold, rare earths, and other minerals, with plans to expand mineral processing, develop value-added facilities, and launch large-scale mining projects. The partnership will begin with the export of antimony, copper, gold, tungsten, and rare earth elements.

Sharif has previously estimated Pakistan’s mineral reserves at trillions of dollars, saying foreign investment in the sector could help the country overcome its financial crisis and reduce reliance on foreign loans. Most of Pakistan’s mineral wealth lies in insurgency-affected Balochistan, where separatist opposition has limited extraction by local and foreign firms.

Sharif, the first Pakistani leader to visit the White House in six years, described Trump as a “man of peace” for his “sincere efforts” to resolve global conflicts and thanked him for the July US-Pakistan tariff deal. The agreement imposes a 19 per cent tariff on Pakistani imports and includes US support for developing Pakistan’s oil reserves.