Pakistan has opened the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 in Islamabad, bringing global mining executives, investors and policymakers together for two days of talks on the country's mineral wealth.

The forum, which runs on 12 and 13 November at the Jinnah Convention Centre, is organised by the federal government and endorsed by the Special Investment Facilitation Council, with the Oil and Gas Development Company as founding partner.

Ministers and mining chiefs in attendance

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir are listed among the speakers. Barrick chairman John L. Thornton and Ivanhoe Mines founder Robert Friedland are also due to take part.

Addressing the forum on Thursday, Petroleum Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh said Pakistan's deposits of copper, gold, chromite, coal and gemstones offered immense investment opportunities, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.

New data tools and the Reko Diq project

Sheikh said the launch of the National Mineral Data Centre, a geoportal and an agreement exchange at the forum would strengthen institutional capacity and information sharing. He described the Reko Diq copper-gold project as one of Pakistan's most significant mining investments, with several other projects also ready for investment.

The first day covers financing for early-stage exploration, the mining workforce and women's participation in the sector. The second day opens with a government dialogue on building investor-ready mining jurisdictions.

The forum is the third edition of the event and a follow-on to last year's gathering, which organisers say brought together more than 5,000 delegates. The Baloch National Movement has criticised the forum, saying Balochistan's resources are being developed without the consent of its people.