ISLAMABAD — Ivanhoe Mines signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mari Energies on Thursday, the Canadian company’s chairman Robert Friedland said on the sidelines of the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum. Friedland said Ivanhoe is in the early stages of setting up a local office in Pakistan and will sign another MoU on Friday.
Mari Energies’ mining unit, Mari Minerals, has multiple mineral exploration projects, including copper and gold in Pakistan. The partnership marks the Canadian miner’s entry into South Asia, expanding its presence beyond its major mineral projects in southern Africa. “We’re excited to be here in Pakistan,” Friedland said.
‘Significant evidence’ of placer gold in Punjab rivers, says CM Maryam At the forum, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said that there was “significant evidence” of “sufficient quantities” of placer gold flowing in the province’s five rivers. Maryam said Punjab was the land of five rivers and that gold was “literally flowing” in all five, particularly in the areas of Mianwali and Attock. Describing Pakistan as a “pot of gold”, she said its wealth lay both above and beneath the ground and needed to be explored and converted into tangible wealth.