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- Provincial ministers brief the US delegation on investment opportunities and ongoing development projects
- The development comes amid growing engagement between Washington and Islamabad in critical minerals
ISLAMABAD: US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and Peshawar Consul General Tom Eckert met Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and other parliamentary leaders in Islamabad to discuss critical minerals, energy and security cooperation, the US embassy said on Wednesday.
The development comes amid growing engagement between Washington and Islamabad in critical minerals, a select group of non-fuel minerals and metals essential for modern manufacturing, technological advancements, and transition to clean energy technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles, but are subject to supply chain vulnerabilities.
In Pakistan, mineral rights are a provincial subject under the 18th Amendment, leaving licensing and lease decisions with provincial governments rather than with Islamabad. KP, which borders Afghanistan and has seen a surge in militancy, allocated Rs240 million ($864,702) to mining in its 2026-27 development budget.
“Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and Peshawar Consul General Tom Eckert met with Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa parliamentary leaders at KP House in Islamabad for a productive discussion on US priorities and strengthening critical minerals, energy, and security cooperation,” the US embassy said.
“Our partnership is vital to advancing our shared priorities and regional stability.”
The KP government issued a separate statement about the meeting, saying the discussions covered sports, tourism, minerals, energy and power, education, parliamentary cooperation and capacity building.
Provincial ministers briefed the US delegation on investment opportunities and ongoing development projects, according to a provincial government statement. It made no mention of security, though it said parliamentary leaders discussed the law and order situation in the province.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa possesses immense potential in natural resources, minerals, tourism and its young population,” Swati said, according to a statement issued by the provincial government. “Promoting international cooperation and investment in various sectors could create new opportunities for economic activity, employment and development in the province.”
In July this year, KP Minister for Mines and Minerals Arif Ahmadzai chaired a departmental review that agreed to finalize an operational framework and long-term strategy of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mineral Development and Management Company, according to local media reports.
Ahmadzai on Monday invited Chinese investors and mining companies into the province’s mining sector, assuring them of government facilitation and security arrangements.