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ISLAMABAD: US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker met Pakistan’s Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen Islamabad’s railways and infrastructure to support its critical minerals sector, the US Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.

Pakistan has attracted interest from Washington particularly over its critical minerals sector. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington looked forward to exploring cooperation with Pakistan in critical minerals and hydrocarbons.

In April this year, Pakistan hosted an international minerals summit in Islamabad where top companies and government officials from the US, ��������, China, Turkiye, the UK, Azerbaijan, and other nations attended. The summit aimed to attract foreign investment in the country’s mining sector, with Pakistan

“Grateful for today’s productive meeting with Federal Minister @pakrailpk Hanif Abbasi,” Baker was quoted as saying by the US embassy on social media platform X. “Together, we are exploring innovative ways to strengthen Pakistan’s railways and infrastructure to support the critical minerals sector.”

She said American companies were ready to provide “world-class solutions” that drive growth and mutual benefit for both countries.

Pakistan is rich in gold, copper and lithium reserves, as well as other minerals.

However, despite being rich in reserves of salt, copper, gold and coal, Pakistan’s mineral sector contributes only 3.2 percent to the country’s GDP and 0.1 percent to global exports. Pakistan is now aiming to tap into this underutilized potential by attracting investment from global mining companies.

The South Asian nation is home to one of the world’s largest porphyry copper-gold mineral zones, while the Reko Diq mine in southwestern Balochistan has an estimated 5.9 billion tons of ore.

Barrick Gold, which owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mines, considers them one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and their development is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s struggling economy.

The meeting between Baker and Abbasi comes amid deepening ties between Washington and Islamabad, ever since US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan on May 10. Ties between both nations remained frayed under US President Joe Biden’s administration.

Last month, Pakistan signed a trade deal with the US after which Washington slashed its tariff on Pakistani goods from 29 percent to 19 percent, while Trump imposed double tariffs on Islamabad’s arch-rival India.

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Pakistan’s Meteorological Department on Thursday forecast more heavy rains across the country until Aug. 29, as the nation reels from devastating monsoon downpours and flash floods that have killed at least 458 people since Aug. 15.

Torrential rains that started last week have inundated large swathes of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and caused hill torrents and flash floods, with 394 people killed since Aug. 15. Gilgit-Baltistan reported 26 deaths, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 20, and Sindh 14 over the same period. Karachi, the financial hub and southern port city, recorded 17 deaths between Aug. 19 and 20 as flooded roads and underpasses left thousands of commuters stranded.

Cumulatively, since the start of the monsoon season on June 26, at least 771 people have died and 993 have been injured nationwide. KP has reported the highest number of casualties at 465, followed by Punjab with 165, Gilgit-Baltistan with 45, Sindh with 42, Balochistan and Azad Kashmir with 23 each, and Islamabad with eight.

In its latest advisory, the Met Office said strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal were likely to penetrate upper parts of the country from Aug. 22. A westerly wave was also expected to reach the same regions by the night of Aug. 22.

“Torrential rains with wind/thundershower predicted in upper and central parts from 23rd to 27th with occasional gaps,” the Met Department said. “Heavy rains expected in Sindh and eastern/southern Balochistan from 27th to 29th August.”

The advisory warned of flash floods in local streams of Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Charsadda, Nowshera, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, northeastern Punjab, Azad Kashmir and the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan between Aug. 23-26.

It also cautioned of possible urban flooding in low-lying areas of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Peshawar, Nowshera, and Mardan from Aug. 23-27. 

“Landslides/mudslides may cause roads closure in the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan Murree, Galliyat and Kashmir during the forecast period,” the advisory said.

Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world, despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Annual monsoons are vital for agriculture and water needs but in recent years have unleashed destructive flooding and landslides. In 2022, unprecedented rainfall and glacier melt left more than 1,700 people dead and inflicted an estimated $30 billion in losses, according to the government.

PM’S OUTREACH 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reached out to leaders across the political spectrum to discuss the flood emergency, including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which governs Sindh province. 

“The prime minister expressed grief over torrential rains, urban flooding, and the loss of precious lives in southern Sindh, particularly Karachi,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “The prime minister offered the federal government’s full support to the Sindh government in dealing with the emergency situation.”

Sharif directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to remain in close contact with the Sindh government, extend all possible assistance to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, and ensure advance warnings to residents about potential risks.

The premier also spoke to Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, and Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, head of the Karachi-based Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and federal education minister, regarding the flood situation and relief operations.