LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has called for political consensus, policy continuity and a clear constitutional and legal framework to attract long-term investment in Pakistan’s mineral resources sector.
Addressing the concluding session of the annual conference, “Rare Earth Minerals in Pakistan: Opportunities and Challenges,” at the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), Lahore, he said frequent policy changes with changes in government undermined investor confidence and prevented the country from fully benefiting from its mineral wealth.
He said Pakistan needed a long-term mining policy insulated from political transitions and stressed that legally executed agreements must remain protected irrespective of changes in government. Malik Ahmad Khan said Pakistan had long been described as a mineral-rich country, but the key question was why it had failed to convert its mineral wealth into national prosperity.
He called for an assessment of whether the problem lay in political will, governance structures or weaknesses in the existing policy framework. The Speaker stressed the need to harmonise federal and provincial laws governing mineral exploration, extraction, investment, licensing and contracts to provide investors with a predictable and transparent legal environment.
He also emphasised the need to balance mining development with environmental protection. Issues involving forests and other natural resources, he said, should be addressed through consultation among experts, institutions and stakeholders.
Malik Ahmad Khan called for greater involvement of parliamentary committees, provincial assemblies, universities and research institutions in policymaking. He urged that research findings and recommendations emerging from such conferences be shared with elected representatives across the provinces, particularly Balochistan.
He said Pakistan’s mineral resources represented a major economic opportunity, but transforming them into national prosperity required strong institutions, political commitment, effective legislation, provincial participation and a long-term national vision.
The Speaker said that although he was not a mining expert, his primary concern as a lawyer and parliamentary office-holder was to create a legal environment in which investors could have confidence in the security of their capital and agreements.
The conference was attended by NSPP Rector Farhan Aziz Khawaja, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited Chairman Muhammad Ismail Qureshi, US Consul General in Lahore Stetson Sanders, NIPP Lahore Dean Dr Naveed Elahi, Chinese Consulate Lahore Commercial Counsellor Buoting, as well as experts, policymakers and other stakeholders.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026