US expresses strategic interest in Pakistan’s mineral sector

A senior US official on Wednesday underscored Washington’s strategic interest in Pakistan’s mineral sector, signalling a push for long-term cooperation in the development of critical mineral resources key to American advanced technologies. “Critical minerals are the raw materials necessary for our most advanced technologies,” Eric Meyer, senior bureau official for the Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, was quoted in a statement issued by the US embassy in Islamabad on his visit. Mr Meyer led the US delegation to the Pakistan Minerals Invest­ment Forum, after which he enga­ged with civil and military leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir, Interior Mi­­nister Mohsin Naqvi, and Petro­leum Minister Ali Pervez Malik.