Pakistan’s mineral show-and-tell: Sharif and Munir try to charm Trump
Washington, DC: A new White House photograph has surfaced of Donald Trump’s meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, showing them presenting rare earth minerals to the US President in the Oval Office.
The image captured Munir pointing to an open wooden box filled with the minerals as Trump looked on intently, while Sharif stood nearby with a faint smile.
The presentation underscored what many described as Pakistan’s effort to win favour in Washington.
Last week, Munir showcased the box of rare earths in a symbolic gesture aimed at boosting ties with the US at a time when Trump is seeking to curb China’s dominance in the critical minerals supply chain.
According to the White House, the President appeared fixated on the display as Sharif observed. The meeting came shortly after a $500 million investment deal between Pakistan and a US metals company.
Sharif, the first Pakistani leader to visit the White House in six years, joined Trump and Munir for discussions that lasted about 90 minutes.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also present.
Munir had earlier held a rare one-on-one with Trump in June.
Following the talks, Sharif praised Trump as a "man of peace" for his "sincere efforts" to end global conflicts, according to a statement from his office.
He also thanked Trump for the July tariff agreement, under which Pakistani imports face a 19 percent levy, while the US pledged to assist in developing Pakistan’s oil reserves.
Sharif voiced optimism that the partnership would "be further strengthened to the mutual benefit of both countries" and invited US companies to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture, IT, energy, and mining sectors.
US eyes Pakistan’s minerals
The meeting coincides with warming ties after years of strain, especially in the minerals sector.
Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation signed a memorandum of understanding this month with Missouri-based US Strategic Metals to set up a poly-metallic refinery in Pakistan.
US Strategic Metals, which specialises in producing and recycling critical minerals, considers such resources vital to advanced manufacturing and clean energy.
A separate agreement was signed between Pakistan’s National Logistics Corp and Portugal’s Mota-Engil Group.
Sharif’s office said the sides agreed to develop value-added facilities, boost processing capacity, and launch large-scale mining projects.
"The partnership will begin immediately with the export of readily available minerals from Pakistan, including antimony, copper, gold, tungsten, and rare earth elements," the statement noted.
Sharif has previously claimed that Pakistan’s mineral reserves are worth trillions of dollars, arguing that foreign investment could help end its prolonged financial crisis and reduce dependence on foreign loans.
Most of these reserves, however, lie in Balochistan, where separatist groups have long opposed resource extraction by Pakistani and foreign companies.
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