LAHORE, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 18th Aug, 2026) Punjab Assembly (PA) Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has stressed the need for political consensus, policy continuity and legal protection of agreements to enable Pakistan to fully exploit its vast mineral resources and attract long-term investment in the sector.
Addressing the concluding session of the annual conference on “Rare Earth Minerals in Pakistan: Opportunities and Challenges” at the National school of Public Policy (NSPP), here on Tuesday, he said frequent changes in policies with every change of government undermined investors’ confidence and hindered long-term investment.
The Speaker said Pakistan needed a long-term and stable mineral-sector policy that remained protected from changes in government. “Pakistan has long been described as a country rich in mineral resources. The question is why we have so far failed to turn these resources into national wealth and economic prosperity,” he remarked.
He said it was important to determine whether the country’s failure to fully benefit from its mineral wealth was due to a lack of political will, shortcomings in the government structure or weaknesses in the existing policy framework.
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said concerns raised by stakeholders regarding any policy or agreement should be heard seriously and addressed through reasoned dialogue.
Referring to the constitutional framework, he said the framers of the Constitution had recognised the need for a clear distribution of powers and resources between the federation and provinces. “The Constitution provides the basic framework. What is required now is the political will to make effective use of this constitutional framework,” he added.
He pointed out that international agreements in the mineral sector could remain in force for decades and span several governments. Therefore, investors needed assurance that legally executed agreements would remain protected even after a change of government. “Policy continuity and the protection and enforcement of agreements are the foundation of investor confidence,” he said.
The Speaker also called for greater harmonisation between Federal and provincial laws governing mineral exploration, extraction, investment, licensing and agreements, saying conflicting legal provisions could discourage investors.
He highlighted the environmental challenges associated with mineral extraction and said environmental protection must be given due consideration while framing relevant laws and policies. He stressed that balancing economic development with the protection of forests and other natural resources required consultations among experts, institutions and stakeholders.
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said parliamentary standing committees, provincial assemblies, universities and research institutions had an important role in shaping policies for the mineral sector. He noted that universities were producing geologists and other experts, but their research needed to be effectively linked with practical policymaking.
Appreciating NSPP for bringing policymakers, experts, researchers and other stakeholders together, he said the process should go beyond conferences and research papers. He urged that research findings and recommendations be shared with elected representatives from all provinces, including Balochistan, followed by regular consultations.
The Speaker said that although he was not a mineral-sector expert, his Primary concern as a lawyer and parliamentary office-holder was to ensure that businesses investing in Pakistan were provided a legal environment that offered confidence in the security of their investments and the continuity of their agreements.
He said Pakistan’s mineral resources represented a major opportunity, but transforming this potential into national prosperity required strong institutions, political will, effective legislation, provincial participation and a long-term national vision.
The event 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 Mr Bhuteng, besides experts, policymakers and representatives of relevant sectors.
