Pakistan Opens Minerals Investment Forum 2026 to 5,000 Global Attendees

Pakistan opened the two-day Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 (PMIF26) in Islamabad on Thursday, drawing more than 5,000 attendees from over 60 countries in a push to attract foreign capital into the country's mining sector, according to a statement issued at the event.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar inaugurated the forum and its international exhibition. In his address, he said Pakistan holds significant deposits of copper, gold, iron ore, chromite, lead, zinc, coal, rock salt, marble, gypsum and gemstones. He pointed to the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt and the Reko Diq project in Balochistan as an example of international cooperation in mining, and said mineral development has become a national economic priority as the government seeks to diversify exports and strengthen the industrial base.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the country's fiscal deficit had fallen to a 22-year low, with primary surpluses recorded for three consecutive years. He cited foreign exchange reserves of $21.5 billion, covering more than three months of imports, and said mining could become a major contributor to growth, exports and investment. He stressed that investor confidence depends on reliable profit and dividend repatriation, and said sustaining stability would require structural reforms and a shift toward export-led growth.

Federal Petroleum Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh said work is under way with provincial governments and federal institutions to make the mining sector more transparent and investor-friendly. He said several projects beyond Reko Diq are ready for investment and announced that offshore exploration is set to resume after a gap of several years.

Provincial leaders also presented their investment opportunities. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the province has identified 27 minerals, is encouraging scientific exploration and value addition, and invited investors to commercially viable projects including Thar coal and public-private partnerships. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced financial incentives, interest-free loans and one-window facilities for mining investors, saying revenue from the provincial Mines and Minerals Department had risen from Rs. 10 billion to Rs. 40 billion in two and a half years.