PAKISTAN OFFERS TRILLION-DOLLAR MINERALS PACT TO DONALD TRUMP

Agreement of 22 May sketches out joint exploration, mining, processing, offtake of minerals from Pak.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Asim Munir shows rare earths to Donald Trump, as Shehbaz Sharif looks on.

Pakistan has quietly hung a trillion-dollar minerals carrot in front of Trump's Washington, filing a rare earth framework that lays out a five-year, government-to-government plan to plug its mineral reserves directly into U.S. and allied supply chains.

The agreement, dated 22 May 2025, sketches out joint exploration, mining, processing and offtake of critical minerals from Pakistan-anchored by an “indicative commercial value of up to USD 1 trillion.”

This cooperation between the two countries, which took concrete steps after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in, is being cited as one of the primary reasons for the ‘love’ that Washington has revived for Pakistan, ignoring long-term strategic implications that people who replace Trump in the coming times will face.

The Framework Agreement on Strategic Cooperation and Supply of Rare Earth Minerals and Metals establishes a five-year initial term, renewable by mutual consent, and creates a Joint Steering Committee to oversee implementation. It is explicitly framed as a government-to-government strategic understanding, not a commercial contract.

On Pakistan's side, the Frontier Works Organization (FWO)—a military-linked engineering and infrastructure body—is designated as the lead entity for geological exploration, mining, logistics and implementation.