Punjab Says Gold Traces Found in All Five Rivers, Seeks Foreign Investment in Minerals

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday that evidence of gold deposits has been found in all five rivers of Punjab, with the strongest indications reported around Mianwali and Attock, as her government courts international investors to develop the province's mineral wealth.

Speaking at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 (PMIF26) in Islamabad, the chief minister showed attendees a sample of gold recovered from river sand and said surveys are being carried out to establish how much of the metal is present. She described the resource as placer gold — naturally occurring gold that is eroded from rock and builds up in river sand and gravel — and said the northern and southern parts of the province appear particularly promising.

According to the chief minister, the same sand and gravel also carry rare earth elements and other valuable minerals, which she said could add considerable economic value if developed properly. She invited foreign companies to work with Punjab on exploration and extraction, and said her administration is pushing for greater transparency in the mining sector to make it easier to do business.

She pointed to the province's revenue figures as a sign of progress, saying collections by the Punjab Mines and Minerals Department rose from around Rs. 10 billion when she took office to roughly Rs. 40 billion over the following two and a half years. The aim, she said, is to convert mineral resources into economic opportunity through exploration and outside investment.

The two-day forum in Islamabad is intended to draw international capital into Pakistan's mining sector and brings together government officials, global mining firms, investors, policymakers and industry experts. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Field Marshal Asim Munir were listed among the event's key speakers.

The government has increasingly framed minerals as a path to export growth and job creation, though independent verification of the size and commercial viability of the reported river deposits has not yet been made public. Officials said the ongoing surveys are expected to clarify the scale of the finds.