Pakistan sends first rare earth shipment to US, triggers anger over secret deals

International News: Pakistan has delivered its first-ever shipment of rare earth and critical minerals to the United States after signing a deal last month with an American company to explore and develop the country’s mineral resources. The move has caused protests in Pakistan, with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressing anger over what it calls “secret deals” with the US. According to a report by Dawn on Monday, the sample shipment sent to the US includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium.

US Company Signs $500 Million Deal

US Strategic Metals (USSM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September with the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), the engineering arm of the Pakistani military. The agreement involves an investment of around $500 million to set up facilities for mineral processing and development in Pakistan. The Dawn report mentioned that the samples sent to the US were “prepared locally in collaboration with the FWO.” In its statement, USSM called the shipment “an important step in strengthening the strategic partnership between Pakistan and the United States.” It said the MoU creates “a full plan for working together in exploring, processing, and refining minerals within Pakistan.” USSM, based in Missouri, focuses on producing and recycling essential minerals. According to the US mission in Pakistan, the US Department of Energy has identified these minerals as key to modern technologies.

Pakistan’s Mineral Wealth and US Interest

The sample shipment came after the White House shared a photo showing Donald Trump looking at a box of rocks described as rare earth minerals. Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir was explaining the samples to Trump, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stood nearby. Pakistan, struggling with debt, is seeking US attention under Trump’s administration by offering its untested reserves of rare earths. Reports estimate Pakistan’s mineral wealth at about $6 trillion, making it one of the most resource-rich nations in the world, according to Dawn. However, many foreign companies have left Pakistan after failing to find the large deposits that were expected.

PTI Raises Alarm Over Secret Agreements

Imran Khan’s PTI has urged the government to reveal the full details of the deals made with the US and American firms. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram asked the government to be transparent about the agreements. The party demanded that both Parliament and the public be informed, saying that “the full details of all such deals must be made public.” PTI’s concerns are not limited to the $500 million mineral agreement. The party has also questioned reports suggesting that Pakistan may offer the Pasni Port—located near China-backed Gwadar—to the US for access to minerals. This issue gained attention after a closed-door meeting between Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir, and Trump, drawing comparisons to old colonial “concessions.”

Fears of a Repeat of the Past

Responding to reports by The Financial Times about the possible offer of Pasni Port to the US, PTI warned that such “secretive and one-sided deals” could make Pakistan’s fragile situation worse. The report said Pakistan has proposed giving a port on the Arabian Sea in Balochistan, close to the Chinese-built Gwadar port, to the US as part of its efforts to please President Trump. The port is also near India’s Chabahar port in Iran. Akram said that PTI “will never accept agreements that harm the people or the national interest.” He urged the Shehbaz government to learn from history, referring to Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s 1615 decision to allow the British to trade at Surat Port — a move that later led to colonial domination.