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UK Geological Experts Helping Pakistan Map Mineral WealthPakistan
British High Commissioner Jane Marriott says British geological experts are working with Pakistani teams to identify and map the country’s mineral resources, with major British firms linked to the Reko Diq supply chain.
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British geological experts are working with Pakistani teams to identify and map the country’s mineral resources, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott has said.
Determining the location of key minerals, and how easy or difficult their extraction would be, are essential steps before mining can begin, she said in an interview reported by Dunya News on Saturday.
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The British Geological Survey and geoscience teams were working with Pakistani counterparts on research and preliminary assessments of the country’s mineral potential.
Marriott noted that major British companies, including the Weir Group, were involved in the sector and linked to Barrick Gold’s supply chain for the Reko Diq project.
She said she had attended the third edition of the Pakistan Minerals Investment Summit and had seen it expand each year into an internationally recognised platform for the mining sector.
The UK was already among Pakistan’s largest investors, with more than 200 British companies operating in Pakistan, and its five largest companies collectively contributed around one per cent to Pakistan’s GDP, she said.
She said the UK was particularly keen on opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, with a focus on connecting UK innovation with innovation in Pakistan and turning partnerships into larger commercial opportunities.
She also announced UK-Pakistan trade negotiations scheduled in the coming weeks, and an investment-focused meeting planned in London under the Pakistan High Commission.
Marriott expressed optimism about bilateral economic ties and said Pakistan and the UK had abundant talent and creativity.
The comments come as Pakistan seeks to develop its mineral sector, with the Reko Diq copper and gold project in Balochistan among the largest mining developments in the country.
Pakistan has been working to attract foreign investment into its mining sector, and the Pakistan Minerals Investment Summit has become the main annual platform for presenting opportunities to international companies. The third edition of the summit brought together government officials, mining firms and investors to discuss exploration, extraction and processing.
Reko Diq, in Balochistan, is one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits, and its development is seen as a test case for large-scale mining investment in Pakistan. British firms supplying equipment and services to the project form part of a wider commercial relationship that the High Commissioner said both countries were keen to expand, including through trade negotiations in the coming weeks.
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