US President Donald Trump met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House on Thursday, where the Pakistani side presented rare earth minerals during talks. A photograph released by the White House showed Trump looking at an open wooden box of minerals as Munir pointed to the display, while Sharif stood nearby. Sharif is the first Pakistani prime minister to visit the White House in six years. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes and was also attended by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to a statement from Sharif’s office, the prime minister described Trump as a “man of peace” for what he called his “sincere efforts” to end global conflicts. He also thanked Trump for a tariff deal reached in July, under which Pakistani imports face a 19% tariff, while Washington will assist in developing Pakistan’s oil reserves. Sharif said he believed the Pakistan-US partnership would be “further strengthened to the mutual benefit of both countries.” He also invited American companies to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture, IT, minerals and energy sectors, his office said. The visit comes as relations between Washington and Islamabad have improved after years of strain. Pakistan has been seeking American investment in its mineral sector. Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation signed an agreement with Missouri-based US Strategic Metals to establish a poly-metallic refinery in Pakistan. A second deal was signed between Pakistan’s National Logistics Corp and Portugal’s Mota-Engil Group, an engineering and construction company. Sharif’s office said the agreements would allow both sides to expand cooperation in copper, gold, rare earths and other minerals. The statement added: “The partnership will begin immediately with the export of readily available minerals from Pakistan, including antimony, copper, gold, tungsten, and rare earth elements.” Sharif has said this year that Pakistan holds mineral reserves worth trillions of dollars and that foreign investment in mining could help the country reduce its debt burden. Most of Pakistan’s reserves are in Balochistan province, which has faced separatist violence. In August, the US State Department designated the Balochistan National Army and its Majeed Brigade as a foreign terrorist organisation, complicating resource extraction in the region. (With inputs from agencies)
