Ali Pervaiz to represent Pakistan at US ‘Critical Minerals Ministerial’ on Feb 4

A US-hosted summit on critical minerals, titled the Critical Minerals Ministerial, will be held in Washington, DC on February 4, according to diplomatic sources.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will not attend the meeting due to the arrival of important guests in Pakistan, sources said. Instead, Federal Minister for Energy Ali Pervaiz Malik will represent Pakistan at the ministerial.

The meeting will take place under the chairmanship of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Diplomatic sources said the United States is convening the session with international allies to strengthen supply chains of critical minerals, which Washington has declared essential for its economic and national security.

Sources revealed that the US government is planning to establish a Critical Minerals Authority in the near future. During the meeting, the US is also expected to consider signing an agreement with foreign ministers of allied countries aimed at reducing dependence on Chinese critical minerals.

US officials are said to be seeking to accelerate progress on such an agreement before the expiry of deadlines linked to China’s export controls, diplomatic sources added.