The growing friendship between the United States and Pakistan is no secret. Since Operation Sindoor, US President Donald Trump has been vocal about the same and the latest example of the same was a massive oil deal announcement with Islamabad, which came after a 25% tariff on India.

Around a fortnight back, Trump declared that they will help Pakistan develop its massive oil reserves, however, not much is known about where and how big these reserves are. Now, Islamabad has itself invited the United States and a few other countries to grab a pie of its vast reserves.

In a move that reeks of Pakistan’s inclination to sell its natural resources, Islamabad is learnt to be invited international bidders for its rare earth reserves along with minerals, which are estimated to range anywhere between a whopping $3 to $5 trillion.

Pakistan’s rare earths, minerals: Who is the offer for?

Islamabad is set to open bidding for its vast reserves of rare earth elements and minerals to global powers including the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, in a bid to attract big foreign investment, according to a News18 report.

Full-scale preparations are ongoing to streamline the investment process, the report added, citing senior officials. As part of this process, Pakistan is planning to transfer all mineral and rare earth sites from provincial control to a single federal authority. This transition would, however, need a constitutional amendment.

It would involve a simplification of bidding, regulatory approvals, and security clearances.

What Pakistan’s rare earths, minerals offer looks like?

Pakistan government is looking at finalising agreements with foreign investors and consortiums within the next 6-8 months. The initial phase would see China being granted exploration rights in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, while the US could gain access to mining projects in Northern Balochistan and Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Additionally, Islamabad is also in discussions with multiple international players, including consortiums from the US, UK, China, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and the UAE, for the same. The top bidders will be accommodated.

Pakistan’s natural resources: What’s in store?

From coal, copper, gold, iron ore to chromite and other precious stones make for the country’s wide mineral landscape. Notably, Pakistan also boasts of the world’s second-largest salt mines and the fifth-largest deposits of copper and gold, with the mineral wealth spread across across Balochistan’s rugged terrain to the mountainous north and the plains of Punjab and Sindh.