Islamabad (TDI): After Trump administration’s signaled trade and cooperation with Pakistan in the critical minerals sector, the US Chargé d’Affaires in Pakistan met the country’s Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, at the Embassy yesterday.
They explored opportunities to improve and upgrade Pakistan’s railway infrastructure to support the burgeoning critical minerals industry.
According to an official embassy statement, the meeting focused on “innovative ways to strengthen Pakistan’s railways and infrastructure to support the critical minerals sector.”
Grateful for today’s productive meeting with Federal Minister @pakrailpk Hanif Abbasi. Together, we are exploring innovative ways to strengthen Pakistan’s railways and infrastructure to support the critical minerals sector. U.S. companies are ready to provide world-class… pic.twitter.com/3y90BiqT1U
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) August 21, 2025
Baker said that American companies are ready to offer “world‑class solutions” to promote mutually beneficial growth.
Recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement, expressed a desire to explore cooperation with Pakistan on critical minerals and hydrocarbons. This statement, coupled with Trump’s own remarks to explore Pakistan’s oil reserves as both countries concluded a trade deal last month, are evident of US prioritizing trade and investment in Pakistan along these sectors.
Pakistan has significant reserves of gold, copper, lithium, salt, and coal. Yet, the mineral sector contributes just 3.2% to its GDP and accounts for a mere 0.1% of global exports, mainly because of lack of infrastructure.
Read More: US, Pakistan Cooperation Prioritizes Oil, Gas & Minerals
One of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold zones lies in Pakistan’s southwest, the Reko Diq mine, having an estimated 5.9 billion tons of ore. Among other things, the present government of the country is prioritizing minerals exploration.
The Minerals Investment Forum hosted in April was one such effort. It attracted leading international mining companies and representatives from the US, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, the UK, and Azerbaijan.
As Trump puts resource-based partnerships above all else, Pakistan has been presented with a lucrative opportunity.
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