Canadian mining firms eye investment opportunities in Pakistan

A delegation of Canadian mining companies is expected to attend an upcoming minerals investment forum in Pakistan, as Islamabad seeks to attract more foreign investment in exploration, mining and related sectors. The development came during a meeting between Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Canada’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Tarik Ali Khan, who read a statement on Tuesday. The Canadian High Commissioner said a strong delegation of companies working in exploration, mining services, equipment and supply chains was expected to participate in an upcoming minerals investment forum in Pakistan. Minister Jam Kamal welcomed the interest and highlighted mining as one of the government’s priority sectors. Agriculture and food security featured prominently in the discussions. The two sides also discussed accelerating negotiations on the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA). Both sides agreed that the upcoming round of FIPA negotiations, expected in the first week of October, would provide an important opportunity to address outstanding issues and make substantive progress towards agreeing. The Canadian High Commissioner described FIPA as a foundati