Islamabad – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Pakistan has promised a stronger mining operations security framework to protect mine sites, transport routes and skilled workers. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik shared this message at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 on Friday.
He said special arrangements had been made to keep mining projects safe. The aim, he added, is to give investors a calm and steady place to work.
The minister said the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also investing in better geological data. Investors cannot judge project risks without trusted scientific facts, he explained.
More than 40 mineral exploration licences were recently given in Chagai and Khuzdar in Balochistan. He said this shows that private companies are showing growing interest in strategic and critical minerals.
The government is also building roads to link the mineral-rich Chagai belt with Gwadar Port. Thar coal fields will be connected with power plants as well. These links will help move minerals to world markets.
Pakistan has long sold raw ore and imported finished goods. The minister said this is now changing. The country is moving ahead with copper smelting to earn more value from mining to finished metal.
Geological mapping is also moving faster. Detailed surveys at a scale of 1:50,000 are helping find new mineral sites across the country.
Exploration is focused on copper and gold in Chagai and western Balochistan, lithium, tin and tungsten in Gilgit-Baltistan, and antimony and base metals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The minister said modern surveys, drilling and upgraded labs are supporting this work. The UK-Pakistan Geoscience Capacity Building Programme is also helping train experts in digital mapping and airborne surveys.
Old geological records are being digitised so investors can reach reliable data easily. This will lower exploration risk and support wiser decisions.
Ali Pervaiz Malik said finding a deposit is only the first step. A mine also needs power, water, roads, railways and access to global markets, and the government is building these to match its mineral goals.
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