Exploring strategic assets for Green Pakistan

Sustainable growth and development of any society is primarily linked with protecting and utilising strategic assets of own country. These strategic assets may be defined in the form of producing skilled human capital, sustainable energy supply, availability of clean drinking water, preserving clean environment, supply of food, unshakeable defence capability, and industrial growth. Effective utilisation and strengthening of these national assets potentially integrate social and economical development that facilitate and enhance productivity and prosperity of any country without compromising the social values/needs. Thus sustainable development of assets provides a general framework for managing economic development and human growth of a society through the elimination of poverty. Since my birth and true in real spirit, we have been listening that God has blessed Pakistan with unlimited potential of natural resources in the form of fertile agricultural land, good quality Sun, thousand kilometre sea area, four weathers, varieties of livestock, wind resources, and finally mixed landscape (mountains, plan, desert, forest etc). One possible but untouched national asset and critical economic driver by all means is the exploration of availability of mineral (metallic/non-metallic) reserves in our country. Looking at well established fact, Pakistan’s western and northern areas are home to three mountain ranges; Hindukush, Himalaya, and Karakorum which possess a huge wealth of all the minerals found in Pakistan.

Specially for the gold production, Canada, Chile, Australia, USA, Russia, South Africa, Peru, Ghana, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Mexico and China stands at top in the world’s major mining list nations. By and large, these countries are also dominant in other metallic/non-metallic mineral reserves. Note that mining exploration yield depends on the quantity under earth crust and its quality and grade availability in current reserves. More recently metal consumption has increased significantly due to global expanded business environment, so world ore reserves have to be increased as well not only because of discoveries, but because of developments in mining technology sector that have lowered production costs on one side and availability of large mechanised mining equipment with relatively less expensive but bulky explosives along with large milling and concentrating equipment on the other side. Such type of technological developments have made it possible to recover metals from under earth crust deposits whose low grade presence previously prevented us from being profitably mined.

Note that minerals and metals are part and parcel of our daily lives. Generally speaking, minerals are used as inputs for the production of goods and services and where consumers have no direct need for the commodity itself as a consumer good. Mineral products provide basic components for our homes such as foundations, chimney, insulation, electric wiring, plumbing, interior walls and glass appliances, pots and pans, dishes, cutlery, consumer electronics and other products. Similarly, steel, aluminium and glass container is routinely used in food serving and/or food preparation. Furthermore, the automotive sector, renewable energy, traction, industrial appliances, grid stations, communication infrastructure, aeroplanes, rockets, satellites, defence industry, energy transmission and distribution networks are all using these minerals and metallic products one way or the other way. While looking at our planet, there appears to be a sufficient supply of these metallic/non-metallic mineral deposits for daily use on a global scale. Popular Pakistani metallic mineral reserves found so far according to geological survey includes Aluminium, Antimony, Arsenic, Chromite, Copper, Dolomite, Gold, Iron, brass, Fire clay, Fluorite, Glass sand, Garnet, Granite, Graphite, Gypsum, Lead, Magnetite, Manganese, Tungsten, Zinc, Barite. Similarly, non-metallic reserves found in various places of Pakistan are Asbestos, Brine, Calcite, Coal, Kaolin, Lignite, Limenite, Limestone, Marble, Mica, Rock phosphate, Potash, Pyrite, Radioactive minerals, Rock salt, Silica sand, Soapstone, Sulphur, Vermiculite, and natural gas. Furthermore, third variety of mineral reserves available in Pakistan are various Gemstones such as Peridot, Aquamarine, Topaz , Ruby, Emerald, Bastnaesite, Xenotime, Sphene, Tourmaline and Quartz of various types. Based on available information, country’s more than 6, 00, 000 sq.kms of outcrop area demonstrates a varied geological potential for metallic / non-metallic mineral deposits.

Pakistan is a God-gifted country that possess a huge worth of natural metallic reserves such as Gold, Copper, Silver, Platinum, Cobolt and many other precious metals scattered in various parts of the country. For example, RekoDiq – Chaghi district of Baluchistan presents an estimated potential of 1200 Billion US dollar of undeveloped Gold reserves only. RekoDiq stands at top fifth position in the undeveloped gold reserves list according to recent international survey with a 5868 tonnes (mt) of 0.22 grade quality of gold reserves. Similarly, northern areas of Pakistan (Hunza valley, Gilget, and Baltistan), have a scattered reserves of Gold, Silver and Copper with an estimated worth of 1000 Billion US dollar. Furthermore, Northern Waziristan is also been notified by mineral exploration experts with Gold and Copper dominated reserves with an estimated worth of almost 300 Billion US dollar. Pakistan stands at 31^st position (18700 Metric tonnes) in copper producing countries list according to Mundi index. Similarly, Pakistan gets 10^th position for Chromite mineral production (320 000 Metric tonnes) in the world ranking. Depending on the market value, a collective worth of these metallic/non-metallic reserves far exceeds not only our accumulated national export but also our national annual budget as well. With growing world population and expanding world economic business development, new sources of metal will continue to be needed in future. The question then comes into mind why Pakistan is a poor state in the world and continuously burying the whole nation under the burden of huge debt of several agencies. So it is the need of the time that our government should look at a large inventory of known/unknown deposits not economically mineable today.

Some timely measures are urgently needed from the government side to effectively utilise the true potential of huge wealth of mineral reserves in the country. To start with, an atmosphere of peace and stability is pre-requisite for not only sustained growth and development of the country but also to encourage and build confidence level of local and foreign investors. Misappropriations in the terms of exploration contract, corruption by political and bureaucratic elite needs to be thoroughly washed out first. Since most of these mineral reserves are available in the remote areas of Pakistan (especially in the northern areas), introducing new and improving existing communicative infrastructure in those areas is required for not only facilitating transportation of minerals but also uplifting and cementing the social, communicative and economical bond of local inhabitants with the rest of the country. The government should further support and prioritise locals in those areas by giving them special subsidies and short term loans for potential investment in mineral exploration industry. A licensing procedure for mining should further be simplified, and facilitated and culture of awareness through media should be launched in the country that should attract people to invest in mining field and purifying these metallic reserves. With exploring buried mineral wealth focus in mind, these initiatives will certainly boost the economy of Baluchistan province and other remote areas of the country with direct and prompt effects. All in all, this neglected mineral sector may present a true driver for country development through new roads, hospitals, schools, parks, residential colonies that can be built by the people and for the people of Baluchistan: a province that has been neglected in most cases. Nevertheless, mineral exploration provides another possible route/mechanism to merge the political differences, get united and bring prosperity and peace in the country for the people at their best for Green Pakistan.