Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said that there was significant evidence of sufficient quantities of placer gold in the province’s five rivers, particularly around Mianwali and Attock, Dawn has reported.
She made the remarks while addressing the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum in Islamabad, which aims to explore the country’s mineral resources and attract local and international investment in the mining sector.
Maryam described Punjab as the land of five rivers, saying that gold was “literally flowing” through all five. She called Pakistan a “pot of gold” and said that the country’s mineral wealth, both above and beneath the ground, needed to be explored and turned into tangible gains.
“The wealth beneath Punjab was never a problem, never a problem, just like the whole of Pakistan, just like all four provinces and the federating units. The chaos above ground was the actual problem,” she said.
The chief minister also shared figures showing an increase in revenue generated by Punjab’s mines and minerals department. She said its revenue had risen from around Rs10 billion two and a half years ago to Rs40 billion.
“And it is just the beginning,” she added.
Highlighting the province’s iron ore resources, Maryam said that Chiniot held 261.5 million tonnes of iron ore.
She said that the provincial government was working to make the mining sector more accessible to investors by removing bureaucratic hurdles and delays.
As chief executive of the country’s most populous province, she said that her responsibility was to facilitate investors and provide an environment in which businesses could operate without unnecessary obstacles.
Maryam added that the government was introducing a one-window facilitation system so investors could complete the required procedures without having to approach multiple departments.
She also added that the provincial government was making substantial capital investments to reduce investors’ initial costs, including expenses associated with purchasing land.
The government was also offering concessional financing of up to Rs5 billion and planned to provide solar-powered energy solutions to help investors manage high electricity and fuel costs.
