ISLAMABAD: In a bid to deepen bilateral cooperation in Pakistan’s rapidly emerging minerals sector, Critical Minerals Forum (US) Chairman Robert Louis Strayer II and US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker met Finance and Revenue Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday.
Discussions focused on enhancing collaboration in the exploration of critical minerals, ensuring supply chain security and promoting responsible and sustainable investment to unlock Pakistan’s vast mineral potential.
Both sides expressed their commitment to continue engagement and collaboration in the minerals sector, aligned with Pakistan’s economic reform agenda and shared goals for sustainable development.
The minister welcomed the delegation and underlined Pakistan’s stable economic trajectory, highlighting improvements in macroeconomic fundamentals and governance reforms.
“Our priority is fundamental fiscal hygiene: creating a discipline in which capital flows, stays invested and is secured by sound policies,” he said.
“This basis is now translating into improved sentiment and positive signals from international rating agencies.”
The minister said Pakistan had embarked on deep-rooted structural reforms, including restructuring the energy sector, tax administration reforms, broadening the tax base and a roadmap for fiscal sustainability.
He noted that the government was separating tax policy and administration functions by establishing a dedicated tax policy unit within the Ministry of Finance to ensure better governance and efficiency.
“The 24 state-owned enterprises have been referred to the Privatization Commission as part of the government’s commitment to improve service delivery and fiscal discipline,” he said.
The minister also emphasized Pakistan’s strengthened geopolitical and economic partnerships, saying that Pakistan today stands at a constructive intersection of global relations, renewed momentum in Pakistan-US relations, time-tested relations with China and forward-looking strategic cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He said Pakistan’s mining and mining sector represented an opportunity for transformation.
“This offers Pakistan a path to move from consumption-led cycles to export-led growth. A strong mineral policy framework will help Pakistan break the cycle of periodic pressures on the balance of payments and reduce future dependence on multilateral support.”
Strayer shared that the Critical Minerals Forum, funded by the US government, works globally to support safe and transparent mineral supply chains for US industry, particularly in emerging markets.
He said the Forum focused on rare and specialized metals, including copper and antimony, and aimed to de-risk investments from a financial and security perspective.
He reiterated the Forum’s commitment to supporting technology transfer, intellectual property protection, and investor confidence in the US private sector.
The US delegation noted that the United States viewed Pakistan’s scientific, engineering and mathematical talent as a competitive strength and recognized Pakistan’s potential to become a future hub for critical minerals development.
The chargé d’affaires highlighted the Embassy’s support for the United States’ trade engagement in Pakistan and emphasized the importance of ensuring strong investor confidence and enabling regulatory frameworks in the minerals sector.
The minister said Pakistan was working on important legal and regulatory reforms and would welcome structured proposals from the Critical Minerals Forum.
“We encourage them to come back with a detailed framework for collaboration. Pakistan will evaluate it with a view to facilitating responsible investment and ensuring mutual benefit,” he said.
