With this treasure...: Asim Munir's 'rare earth' boast after oil deal with US

Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has unveiled an ambitious plan to revive the country’s struggling economy by highlighting its "rare earth treasure" while propping up the Reko Diq mining project to shore up Islamabad's coffers.

His remarks come after US officials expressed interest in Pakistan’s mineral reserves, which are vital for the electronics and defence sectors, as Washington seeks to break away from Chinese hegemony and reduce its dependency on Beijing’s supply chains amid rising uncertainties.

Munir made these assertions in a column published Saturday in Pakistan’s Geo Group, where writer Suhail Warraich claimed the Field Marshal shared them with him in person during a recent meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

"Pakistan has a rare earth treasure; with this treasure, Pakistan's debt will also be reduced, and Pakistan will soon be counted among the most prosperous societies," Jang quoted Munir saying in his column.

As Trump edges closer to Islamabad after his fallout with New Delhi over Russian oil purchases and its reluctance to acknowledge what he calls his role in the ceasefire deal following Operation Sindoor, The Washington Post reported that the US President’s new-found interest in Pakistan is "less about oil than about access to minerals and rare earths."

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