Pakistan has dispatched its first shipment of rare earth minerals to the United States under a $500-million agreement with an American company, sparking controversy and political protests over the secrecy of the deal.
The shipment, which includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium, follows a deal signed last month between US Strategic Metals (USSM) and the Pakistani military engineering arm, Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), to invest approximately $500 million in setting up mineral processing and development facilities in Pakistan. The samples were prepared locally in collaboration with the FWO.
In a statement, USSM described the delivery as “a significant milestone in the strategic partnership between Pakistan and the United States,” adding that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) “lays out a comprehensive framework for collaboration across the full mineral value chain, spanning exploration, processing, and the development of refining facilities within Pakistan.”
The Missouri-based company specialises in producing and recycling critical minerals deemed essential by the US Department of Energy.
The shipment coincides with a White House release showing US President Donald Trump inspecting a box containing rare earth minerals, as Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir briefed him, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif looking on.
Pakistan, aware of Trump’s interest in securing strategic deals, has been seeking to leverage its unverified mineral reserves.
Pakistan’s mineral wealth is estimated at around $6 trillion, placing it among the world’s most resource-rich nations, though several multinational companies have failed to locate the anticipated resources.
The Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has raised concerns over the “secretive” nature of these deals and urged full disclosure. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram demanded that Parliament and the nation be fully informed of the agreements, emphasising that the government must ensure transparency and safeguard national interests.
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The PTI’s concerns extend beyond the $500-million mineral agreement. Reports suggest that Pakistan may offer the Pasni Port, near the Chinese-built Gwadar Port in Balochistan, to the United States for mineral access, prompting comparisons to colonial-era concessions.
Akram warned that such “reckless, one-sided, and secretive deals could further aggravate the already fragile situation in the country.”
Highlighting historical precedent, Akram cited Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s 1615 decision to grant trading rights to the British at Surat Port, which ultimately facilitated colonial control, urging the Shehbaz government to prioritise the state’s interests over hasty foreign agreements.
The shipment of rare earth minerals marks a critical juncture in Pakistan-US relations, but it has intensified scrutiny over the government’s handling of strategic resources and transparency in bilateral agreements.
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