Few nations can play the long game of power projection as deftly as the United States. Whether in economics, geopolitics, or the global narrative around terrorism, Washington has a knack for weaving principle with pragmatism, often leading to uncomfortable contradictions. One of the clearest examples is its enduring relationship with Pakistan.
On one hand, successive US administrations have publicly criticized Pakistan for its murky dealings with terrorist networks. American intelligence has repeatedly highlighted links between Pakistan’s military-intelligence complex, particularly the ISI, and groups such as the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which have launched attacks in both Afghanistan and India.
Yet on the other hand, the US continues to treat Pakistan as a strategic partner when it suits its broader goals.
Whether it was using Pakistani territory for supply lines during the Afghan war or now eyeing Pakistan’s reserves of critical minerals essential for the green-tech economy, Washington has shown a remarkable ability to compartmentalize its values.
Washington Eyes Pakistan’s Minerals
The recent visit by Eric Meyer, a senior US official from the US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, marked a strategic shift in US-Pakistan engagement.
Despite lingering concerns over terror financing and militant havens, Washington is now looking past the old playbook, toward Pakistan’s vast, untapped mineral wealth, critical for clean energy and defense supply chains.
In April 2025, Meyer led a high-level US delegation to Pakistan to explore new avenues of cooperation in the mineral sector and beyond. On April 9, he met with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir at Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Their discussions centered on mineral development, identified as a core area of mutual interest, and broader business, government, and civil society partnerships.
Meyer also met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who pitched Pakistan as a destination for US investment, stressing that harnessing the country’s mineral potential could significantly boost the economy.
The delegation attended the ‘Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025’ in Islamabad, where Pakistan showcased its mineral wealth, valued at an estimated $6 trillion, including the world’s fifth-largest copper reserves.
With investors from the US, China, Saudi Arabia, and the EU in attendance, Islamabad clearly positioned itself as a future hub in the global critical minerals race.
Meyer welcomed the initiative, expressing confidence in Pakistan’s policy direction and potential to form “mutually beneficial” mineral partnerships.
Strategic Depth Beneath The Surface
Eric Meyer’s April 2025 visit to Pakistan wasn’t just symbolic—it reflected Washington’s evolving priorities in securing reliable access to critical minerals essential for future technologies.
“Critical minerals are the raw materials for our most important technologies,” Meyer said, emphasizing that President Trump has made securing America’s mineral future a strategic imperative. Pakistan, with its significant copper, gold, lithium, and other mineral deposits, is now firmly on Washington’s radar as a potential partner.
For the US, mineral cooperation with Pakistan is not just economic—it’s geostrategic.
With global supply chains under pressure and China dominating much of the rare earth and critical mineral markets, diversifying sources has become a national priority. In this context, Meyer described collaboration with Pakistan as a “core area of mutual interest.”
But access alone isn’t enough—security remains a crucial factor, particularly in regions like Balochistan, where many of these resources lie.
At the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025, Pakistan’s COAS directly addressed investor concerns. He assured both local and international stakeholders that the Pakistan Army will provide full support to safeguard mining projects and ensure a stable operating environment.
“Economic security is now integral to national stability,” General Munir noted, outlining the military’s role in protecting investor confidence and facilitating long-term development in the mineral sector. He highlighted steps being taken to build a robust security framework tailored to the needs of mining operations in sensitive areas.
China In The Background, Minerals In The Foreground
As the world pivots to a green energy future, critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and copper are fast becoming the new oil.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), demand for these minerals—especially those used in batteries—is projected to quadruple by 2040.
But securing these resources isn’t just about meeting industrial demand; it’s about national security and geopolitical leverage.
China currently dominates global supply chains for critical minerals. It controls roughly 69% of rare earth mining and 44% of copper smelting, making it an unrivaled heavyweight in mineral processing.
In response, the US has been forging global deals to diversify and secure access to these essential inputs. From Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Peru, and beyond, Washington is drawing new lines on the mineral map.
However, while Washington is one of the largest consumers of critical minerals, it still lacks the supply independence to match. This is where Pakistan re-enters the picture, with new strategic relevance.
Reko Diq & Pakistan’s Mineral Wealth
Pakistan’s mineral wealth remains vastly underdeveloped but enormously promising. The country boasts the world’s second-largest salt reserves, significant coal deposits, and vast untapped copper and gold fields, especially in Balochistan.
The standout among these is the Reko Diq project in the Chagai district: one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits.
Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold has committed $5.5 billion to restart the Reko Diq mine, with production expected to begin by 2028. The project is projected to generate nearly $74 billion in free cash flow over nearly four decades, with $2.8 billion in annual export revenue. Once operational, it could make Pakistan a crucial player in global copper supply chains.
However, there’s a geopolitical twist: Gwadar, the nearest deep-sea port to Reko Diq and a critical node for mineral exports, is operated by a Chinese state-run company.
Over the past decade, Pakistan has grown increasingly reliant on Beijing for financial lifelines—its external debt reached $130 billion in 2024, much of it owed to China.
While the Biden administration had deprioritized its engagement with Pakistan, the current Trump administration sees strategic potential, particularly in reshaping mining cooperation.
Economic Promise, Operational Pitfalls
Pakistan may sit atop vast mineral wealth, but its mining sector tells a different story.
Despite this abundance, mining contributes just 3.2% to the national GDP and accounts for a mere 0.1% of global mineral exports. For a country grappling with economic instability and external debt, this is a glaring gap that the government hopes to close.
The recent US delegation visit, led by Meyer, signals a renewed effort to turn this underutilized potential into economic momentum. Discussions held in Islamabad and Rawalpindi made it clear: both countries see mineral cooperation as an opportunity to deepen economic ties and unlock strategic value.
But as always, opportunity comes with obstacles.
Security Guarantee: The most immediate challenge is security, particularly in Balochistan, where many of the richest mineral deposits lie. Persistent instability, local grievances, and insurgent activity have deterred serious long-term investment.
While Pakistan’s military leadership has pledged to build a secure environment for mining operations, translating that into investor confidence remains a work in progress.
Water Crisis: Another looming challenge is water. Pakistan is among the most water-stressed nations in the world, and mining—especially for critical minerals—requires enormous water inputs.
Diverting water for mineral processing could deepen existing social and environmental tensions in regions already facing acute shortages. Experts estimate that mineral extraction operations could demand up to 40% of available water in some areas, raising concerns over sustainability and equitable resource use.
Resource Diplomacy Or Repeat Playbook?
The logic behind this mineral partnership is clear: the US wants to secure strategic resources and counter China’s dominance. Pakistan wants to monetize its buried wealth.
However, the selective engagement—prioritizing mineral cooperation while sidelining democratic accountability or counterterrorism transparency—mirrors past patterns of transactional diplomacy.
It’s a calculated move that raises ethical questions. Will this mineral partnership genuinely benefit Pakistan’s people or serve as another chapter in transactional geopolitics?
The coming years will tell whether this bet on minerals is a win-win or another missed opportunity wrapped in strategic convenience.
- Shubhangi Palve is a defense and aerospace journalist. Before joining the EurAsian Times, she worked for ET Prime. She has over 15 years of extensive experience in the media industry, spanning print, electronic, and online domains.
- Contact the author at shubhapalve (at) gmail.com
