Pakistan plans to develop domestic facilities for processing, refining, and manufacturing mineral products instead of exporting its mineral resources in raw form, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday.

Addressing the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 in Islamabad, Dar said the government wanted to develop the country’s entire mineral value chain by attracting investment in mining, technology, processing facilities, energy, transportation, and logistics.

He said Pakistan’s mineral strategy would focus on building domestic industrial capacity rather than limiting development to extracting resources and shipping them overseas.

The plan is also expected to create opportunities for local companies in engineering, equipment manufacturing, specialized services, and other supporting industries.

Dar highlighted Pakistan’s copper and gold reserves along the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt in the country’s western region. He also identified iron ore, chromite, lead, zinc, coal, rock salt, marble, gypsum, and gemstones among the country’s mineral resources.

He said rising global demand for copper and other critical minerals, driven by electric vehicles, battery storage, clean energy, and advanced technologies, offered Pakistan an opportunity to attract international investment.

Dar also cited the Reko Diq Copper-Gold Project in Balochistan as an example of how international expertise, federal participation, and provincial ownership could help develop large-scale mining projects.

He said the government wanted to use the mineral sector to diversify exports, expand domestic manufacturing, and strengthen Pakistan’s industrial base.