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ISLAMABAD: Finland-based industrial giant Metso is interested in providing modern mining technology and training to the local workforce for the Reko Diq copper and gold mine project, Pakistan’s railways ministry said in a press release on Tuesday. 

The Reko Diq mine, located in Pakistan’s largest and poorest southwestern Balochistan province, is among the world’s biggest untapped deposits of copper and gold, with the project estimated to generate $90 billion over the next 37 years. The project, long stalled by legal disputes and political wrangling, was revived after a 2022 settlement with Canada’s Barrick Gold. Islamabad has since touted the mine as a potential driver of growth and foreign exchange earnings.

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani met the president of Metso’s Minerals division, Pia Karhu, in Islamabad to discuss investment opportunities in Pakistan’s minerals sector, the railways ministry said. 

“Ms. Karhu stated that Metso would provide modern mining technology and equipment, and would also offer training to the local workforce,” the railways ministry said. “She shared the company’s future plans, stating that Metso intends to participate in the Reko Diq project by providing mining technology and services.”

Metso describes itself as a “frontrunner” in sustainable technologies, end-to-end solutions and services for the aggregates, minerals processing and metals refining industries globally.

Kayani informed the Metso official about the country’s plans to upgrade its ML-1 and ML-3 railway lines to support the Reko Diq project’s “timely completion,” the statement said. The ML-1 is a long-delayed railway modernization project — a planned multi-billion-dollar upgrade of Pakistan’s 150-year-old main railway line from Karachi in the south to Peshawar near the Afghan border. 

Meanwhile, the ML-3 will be a new railway line for the copper and gold mine project from Balochistan’s Chaman city to Rohri in Sindh.

Kayani mentioned that the Reko Diq project is expected to be operational by December 2028. 

“He welcomed Metso’s potential involvement in Pakistan’s economic development,” the press release said. 

The railways ministry said both parties agreed to hold a follow-up meeting with technical experts from Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways to explore further investment and cooperation opportunities.

While Pakistan expects the project to provide a breakthrough fir its mining sector and overall economic development, Reko Diq’s location underscores the security and political challenges that have long dogged investment in southwestern Pakistan. 

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has for decades faced a separatist insurgency. Armed groups have repeatedly attacked government facilities, the military, and infrastructure tied to foreign investment, including Chinese projects under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

 Insurgents say they are fighting for greater control over the province’s resources and for independence, while the state has described such attacks as “terrorism” threatening national stability.

Canada’s Barrick Gold company owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mine and the Pakistan and Balochistan governments own the other 50 percent. The project is expected to start production by the end of 2028 and will produce 200,000 tons of copper per year in its first phase, with an estimated cost of $5.5 billion.

ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of Pakistan, ��������, the UAE, Indonesia, Turkiye, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan this week backed US President Donald Trump’s plan to restore peace in Gaza, reaffirming their readiness to engage constructively with Washington and all parties toward finalizing and implementing the agreement. 

Trump’s proposal, contained in a 20-point document released by the White House, includes a ceasefire agreement, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza with the assistance of the international community.

The American president presented his Gaza and the Middle East peace plan during his meeting with the leaders of Pakistan, ��������, UAE, Turkiye, Indonesia and other Muslim states in New York last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.

“The foreign ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of �������� and the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt welcome President Donald J Trump’s leadership and his sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza, and assert their confidence in his ability to find a path to peace,” a joint statement from all countries, shared by Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Monday night, read. 

The statement said the ministers welcomed Trump’s proposal to end Israel’s war in Gaza, rebuild the area and the American president’s announcement that he would not allow the West Bank’s annexation. 

“The ministers affirm their readiness to engage positively and constructively with the United States and the parties toward finalizing the agreement and ensuring its implementation, in a manner that ensures peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region,” the joint statement said. 

The foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work with Washington on a “comprehensive deal” that ensures unrestricted delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinians, the release of hostages, a security mechanism that guarantees the security of all sides and full Israeli withdrawal, the statement said. 

The joint statement also said the Muslim nations would back the deal to bring peace in the region on the basis of the two state solution, “under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state in accordance with international law as key to achieving regional stability and security.”

The joint statement came a few hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif backed Trump’s Gaza peace plan, praising the American president for his leadership and efforts to bring an end to the nearly two-year-old Israeli onslaught. 

Separately, Pakistan’s Deputy PM Ishaq Dar received a call from ��������’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday night, the Pakistani foreign office said. The two leaders discussed the Gaza peace plan during their conversation. 

“Both leaders reaffirmed the importance of coordinated regional and international diplomacy to bring an immediate end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and toward a just and lasting peace,” the foreign office said. 
Israel has killed over 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, angering Muslim nations worldwide, who have held massive protests to demand an end to Israel’s military operations in occupied Palestinian territories. 

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also backed Trump’s plan. However, some elements seem to contradict the previously stated views of his government, in particular those related to the possibility of the Palestinian Authority eventually governing Gaza.

The plan also requires agreement from Hamas, which would be required to voluntarily disarm, effectively surrendering. Trump warned that should the group reject the deal, he could give Israeli authorities even more of a free hand to continue their military campaign in the war-ravaged territory.