Dubai: Gold is “literally flowing” through Punjab’s five rivers, Pakistan’s Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has claimed, highlighting what she described as vast untapped mineral wealth that could transform the province’s economy.
Speaking at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum in Islamabad on Thursday, Maryam said there was “significant evidence” of substantial quantities of placer gold in the province’s rivers, particularly around Mianwali and Attock.
According to a report in Dawn, the chief minister described Pakistan as a “pot of gold”, saying the country’s enormous mineral potential had remained largely unexplored.
“The wealth beneath Punjab was never a problem,” she said, arguing that administrative and political challenges had prevented the country from fully exploiting its natural resources.
What is placer gold?
Placer gold refers to naturally occurring gold particles found in riverbeds, sand and gravel, rather than embedded in solid rock.
These deposits form when gold-bearing rocks erode and particles are carried downstream by water, eventually settling in river sediments.
Such deposits can be recovered through techniques including panning, washing and mechanical excavation.
Maryam’s remarks highlighted the potential for commercial extraction, although she did not provide specific estimates of the quantity or commercial value of gold deposits in the five rivers.
Punjab’s mineral wealth
The chief minister said Punjab’s mines and minerals department had increased its revenue from approximately Rs10 billion…
