Washington: In a symbolic gesture underscoring Pakistan’s bid to reshape its economic ties with the United States, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir presented a box of rare earth minerals to U.S. President Donald Trump during their high-profile meeting at the White House on Thursday. The visit marks the first trip by a Pakistani prime minister to the White House in six years, highlighting a notable shift in the tone of bilateral relations.
A photograph released from the meeting showed General Munir pointing at an open wooden box containing samples of rare earth minerals, while President Trump listened closely. Prime Minister Sharif, standing beside them with a faint smile, appeared eager to project Pakistan’s mineral wealth as a central theme of the renewed partnership.
The Oval Office discussions included Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and lasted nearly an hour and a half, reflecting the seriousness with which both sides approached the encounter.
Following the talks, Sharif’s office released a statement in which the prime minister described Trump as a “man of peace” for his efforts to mediate and end conflicts globally. He also expressed gratitude for the July tariff agreement, under which Pakistani imports to the U.S. will carry a 19 percent tariff while Washington assists in developing Pakistan’s oil reserves.
Sharif voiced optimism that under Trump’s leadership, the Pakistan-U.S. relationship would be “further strengthened to the mutual benefit of both countries.” He also extended an invitation to U.S. firms to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture, IT, energy, and mining sectors.
The meeting came against the backdrop of a growing U.S. interest in Pakistan’s rare earth and critical minerals sector, considered vital for advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and defense technologies.
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) signed an MoU with Missouri-based U.S. Strategic Metals to collaborate on establishing a poly-metallic refinery in Pakistan. U.S. Strategic Metals specializes in producing and recycling critical minerals identified by the U.S. Department of Energy as essential for emerging industries, including electric vehicles and renewable energy.
In a parallel deal, Pakistan’s National Logistics Corp partnered with Mota-Engil Group, a Portuguese engineering and construction giant, for large-scale mineral and infrastructure projects.
According to Sharif’s office, discussions with the U.S. and Portuguese delegations focused on Pakistan’s deposits of copper, gold, antimony, tungsten, and rare earths. The agreements envision building value-added facilities and mineral processing plants inside Pakistan, while also beginning immediate exports of select minerals.
Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly emphasized that Pakistan holds mineral reserves worth trillions of dollars, a resource base that could serve as a solution to the country’s chronic financial crisis. With foreign reserves under pressure and dependence on loans weighing heavily on the economy, Sharif hopes international investment in mining will offer a path toward sustainable growth.
“The partnership will begin immediately with the export of readily available minerals,” his office stated, underscoring urgency in kick-starting the initiative.
Despite the optimism, most of Pakistan’s mineral wealth lies in Balochistan, a province long troubled by separatist insurgency and resistance to resource extraction by state-backed and foreign companies. Militants have frequently targeted mining projects, posing a major obstacle to Pakistan’s ambitions of turning its mineral endowment into economic relief.
The White House meeting signifies a possible reset in Pakistan-U.S. relations, which have been strained over issues ranging from counterterrorism to regional politics. By foregrounding critical minerals, Pakistan appears to be aligning its economic diplomacy with Washington’s strategic needs, especially in securing alternatives to China-dominated supply chains.
For Trump, who has championed domestic manufacturing and supply chain security, the overture from Islamabad may present an opportunity to expand U.S. influence in South Asia’s resource sector while recalibrating ties with a longtime but often difficult ally.