Pakistan Critical Minerals: The Next Big Export Opportunity After Stone
Pakistan has long been known for marble, onyx, gemstones and Himalayan salt. But beneath the same mountains that yield these decorative stones lies something that has suddenly captured the attention of the United States government, Wall Street investors, and global industrial buyers: critical minerals and rare earth elements.
In October 2025, Pakistan made history by shipping its first consignment of rare earth elements and critical minerals to the United States under a landmark $500 million agreement. The shipment contained antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements including neodymium and praseodymium — materials essential for electric vehicles, defense systems, and advanced electronics manufacturing.
For international buyers already sourcing Pakistani stone and gems, this development signals something important: Pakistan is not just a stone exporter. It is emerging as one of the most strategically significant mineral nations on earth.
What Critical Minerals Does Pakistan Have?
Pakistan sits on an extraordinary geological formation — the Tethyan Belt — which stretches across several countries and has historically yielded commercially viable mineral deposits. Geological surveys have confirmed the presence of the following critical minerals across Pakistani territory:
Latest development: In late 2025, Pakistan unveiled its first-ever National Rare Earth Element Map — a comprehensive geochemical survey covering approximately 360,000 square kilometers. The survey confirmed the existence of 12 out of 17 critical rare earth elements within Pakistani territory, with peak concentration anomalies reaching up to 1,403 mg/kg in the Himalayan Fold-and-Thrust Belt. This is the first independent geological baseline that moves Pakistan beyond speculation toward documented data.
Rare Earth Elements (REEs)
The Geological Survey of Pakistan and joint surveys with China have confirmed the presence of light rare earth elements including cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and praseodymium primarily in the Skardu-Chilas region of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Neelam Valley of Azad Kashmir. These are the same regions that produce world-class aquamarine and tourmaline gemstones — the Tethyan Belt delivers both decorative gems and strategic minerals from the same mountain ranges.
Antimony
Pakistan announced the discovery of a large antimony deposit in Balochistan in March 2025. Antimony is classified as a critical mineral by the United States and is essential for ammunition primers, flame-retardant compounds, and advanced electronics. China banned antimony exports to the United States in December 2024, creating an immediate strategic gap that Pakistan is positioned to help fill.
Copper and Gold — Reko Diq
The Reko Diq deposit in Chagai District, Balochistan — the same region that produces Pakistan’s finest green onyx — is widely regarded as one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper and gold deposits. Canada’s Barrick Mining holds a 50% stake and is actively developing the project. Copper exports from the adjacent Saindak mine already reached $842 million in 2024, up from $777 million the year before.
Other Critical Minerals
Pakistan’s mineral territory covers approximately 230,000 square miles, with the government estimating that over 95% remains unexplored. Known occurrences include chromite, manganese, iron ore, rock salt, coal, and various industrial minerals spread across Balochistan, KPK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Punjab.
The US-Pakistan Minerals Deal: What Happened
The sequence of events in 2025 moved fast. In March, Pakistan announced the antimony discovery in Balochistan. In June, Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir met US President Donald Trump at the White House, reportedly displaying mineral samples. In July, Trump announced a US-Pakistan agreement to jointly develop Pakistan’s mineral resources. By September, Memoranda of Understanding were signed between US Strategic Metals (USSM) and Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), committing $500 million in initial investment. In October, the first shipment of Pakistani rare earth elements landed in the United States.
The Pakistan Mineral Investment Forum held in April 2025 attracted international attention from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and China — all simultaneously interested in Pakistan’s untapped mineral wealth.
Honest Assessment: Opportunity and Reality
Pakistan’s government has cited a $6 trillion mineral wealth figure — a number that has attracted both excitement and scepticism. The honest picture sits between the hype and the dismissal.
What is confirmed: Pakistan has real mineral deposits across multiple categories. Reko Diq is a proven world-class copper-gold project moving toward production under Barrick, one of the world’s most credible mining operators. The first shipment of rare earth elements to the United States actually happened. The Skardu-Chilas region has confirmed light REE occurrences in the same geological formations that produce the world-class aquamarine for which the region is already famous.
What remains unproven: The $6 trillion figure uses Pakistan’s own geological resource estimates without the international JORC or NI 43-101 standards that independent investors require. Heavy rare earth elements — the most strategically critical category — have not been confirmed in significant quantities. Processing and refining infrastructure is essentially non-existent. And Pakistan’s complex regulatory environment and security challenges in Balochistan add real-world friction to what looks straightforward on paper.
The realistic timeline for meaningful rare earth production is 5 to 7 years minimum, according to independent analysts. But for early movers — whether investors, industrial buyers, or supply chain planners — the window to establish relationships and positioning is open right now.
What This Means for International Buyers
If you are already sourcing Pakistani marble, onyx, or gemstones, you are already working with exporters and operators in the same regions where these critical minerals are being identified. Balochistan produces green onyx and white marble from Chagai and Ziarat districts — the same Chagai district where Reko Diq sits. Gilgit-Baltistan produces the world’s finest aquamarine from Skardu — the same Skardu-Chilas region where REE deposits have been confirmed.
The infrastructure, the trade relationships, and the on-ground knowledge that decorative stone buyers have built over years of sourcing from Pakistan will be directly relevant as the critical minerals sector develops.
Pakistan’s Mineral Regions at a Glance
Balochistan
Home to Reko Diq copper-gold, Saindak copper, Chagai antimony discovery, green onyx quarries, and chromite deposits. The most mineral-rich province and the frontier of Pakistan’s critical minerals development.
Gilgit-Baltistan
Confirmed light REE occurrences in Skardu-Chilas region alongside world-class gemstone deposits. The geological formation that produces aquamarine and tourmaline also hosts rare earth bearing minerals.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Significant chromite reserves, emerald and gemstone mining, and preliminary REE indicators in tribal district formations. Home to the largest gemstone wholesale market in Asia at Namak Mandi, Peshawar.
Punjab
Rock salt from Khewra Mine — already a major export — plus coal from Salt Range and scattered industrial mineral deposits. The most developed infrastructure base for mineral processing and export logistics.
How PakiStone Fits Into This Picture
PakiStone.com was built to connect international buyers with Pakistani exporters across marble, onyx, granite, gemstones, and Himalayan salt. As Pakistan’s critical minerals sector develops, we will track and report on the emerging opportunities, established operators, and credible export developments — applying the same standards we use for decorative stone exporters.
If you represent a company with interest in Pakistan’s critical minerals sector — whether for sourcing, investment, or supply chain planning — contact us at info@pakistone.com. We will connect you with on-ground operators and provide the most current information available.
Browse our exporter directory at PakiStone.com/exporters and explore our regional guides for Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan — the two regions at the centre of Pakistan’s critical minerals story.