Editorial
The global race for critical minerals is heating up, and Pakistan has officially entered the game. From lithium and silicon to gallium, the so-called “green transition” has made these resources essential to everything from smartphones to electric vehicles and AI warfare. But behind the buzz of mineral wealth lies a deeper, more uncomfortable truth: history is repeating itself, and ordinary Pakistanis — especially those in Balochistan, KP, and Gilgit-Baltistan — are once again being left behind.
Earlier this week, Islamabad hosted a high-profile investment conference touting Pakistan’s critical minerals as a “shortcut” to escaping its debt trap. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made lofty promises to global investors, while a call from U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio signaled Washington’s clear interest in tapping into Pakistan’s resource reserves. At the same time, discreet legislative amendments — like those recently proposed to the KP Mines and Minerals Act — hint at a coordinated move to fast-track extraction under the guise of development.
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This is not a new story. From Saindak to Reko Diq, Pakistan’s mineral-rich regions have long been exploited without benefiting the people who live there. Today, as the U.S., China, and Gulf powers jostle for influence, Pakistan’s ruling elite seems eager to serve foreign interests, treating local ecologies and communities as collateral damage.
There’s little evidence this latest scramble will lead to industrialisation or environmental sustainability. Instead, it appears to be another rent-seeking venture by the establishment — dressed up in the language of “green growth.”
As the world battles over control of future tech and clean energy, Pakistan must ask itself: will we build prosperity with our mineral wealth, or simply repeat the same cycle of extraction, exploitation, and exclusion? So far, the signs are worryingly familiar.
