Silkway Impex Private Limited and Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of a Geological Analysis Laboratory in Pakistan, aimed at strengthening the country’s mineral testing, certification, and export readiness capabilities. The agreement was signed by Raja Taimur Rehman, Managing Director of Silkway Impex, and Asad Ahmad, Managing Director of Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, with additional representatives from both organizations, including Raja Hashim Rehman, Chief Operating Officer and Director at Silkway Impex, and Noor Zada Afridi, Manager Geology at Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, also present at the signing ceremony.
The proposed laboratory is envisioned as a strategically important facility for Pakistan’s mining and minerals sector, intended to support mineral producers, exporters, traders, investors, Chinese buyers, and other international counterparties by improving access to reliable geological testing and analytical services within the country. The initiative carries significant commercial weight, given that Pakistan’s mineral sector currently relies heavily on overseas laboratories and international inspection houses for testing and certification, a dependency that adds cost, time, and logistical friction to what would otherwise be a more straightforward export process. Establishing a modern, internationally credible laboratory domestically is expected to reduce that reliance on external facilities, improve transaction timelines, enhance buyer confidence, and strengthen Pakistan’s competitive position in regional and international mineral markets.
Silkway Impex has played a central role in originating and facilitating the project, leveraging its China facing relationships and its broader mandate to bring Chinese state linked and private sector investment, technical cooperation, and institutional support into Pakistan. The company said it will continue coordinating with Chinese stakeholders to advance the project through the necessary institutional, technical, and investment channels, with Selman Pataudi, Managing Director for International at Silkway Impex, leading the company’s engagement with relevant Chinese counterparts to help bring the project to fruition.
Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, as a leading state owned enterprise with extensive experience in the country’s mineral sector, is positioned to serve as the Pakistani institutional anchor for the project, with its sectoral expertise, government ownership, and commercial mandate seen as well suited to supporting a facility aligned with Pakistan’s long term mineral sector priorities. Speaking at the signing, Raja Taimur Rehman said the agreement represents an important step toward strengthening Pakistan’s mineral sector infrastructure, noting that while the country holds significant mineral potential, realizing its full commercial value requires credible domestic testing, analysis, and certification capacity rather than continued dependence on facilities abroad. The project reflects a broader pattern of Pakistan-China cooperation in the mining and minerals sector, with both organizations expected to continue advancing the initiative through further stages of stakeholder engagement, technical coordination, and implementation planning in the coming months.
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