ISLAMABAD: Mining company National Resources Limited (NRL) on Friday announced that it had identified copper and gold deposits at eight sites in Balochistan’s Chagai district, following nearly 25,000 metres of drilling that yielded encouraging results.

The company is now moving towards its first estimate of the area’s mineral resources.

One of the drill holes revealed a 295-metre stretch of mineral deposits containing 0.43 per cent copper and 0.13 grams of gold per tonne. Within this, a 132-metre section showed a higher copper concentration of 0.83pc, National Resources Limited Chairman Muhammad Ali Tabba told the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026.

The discoveries cover an area of 5.6 square kilometres in Darigwan, adjoining the company’s earlier discovery at the Tang Kaur copper-gold site. Tabba said further exploration at the exploration licence EL214 was expected to help establish the size of the mineral deposits, subject to the completion of exploration work and a formal assessment of the resources.

A joint venture between Fatima Fertilisers, Liberty Mills and Lucky Cement Ltd, NRL holds five exploration licences in Balochistan. These comprise two copper-gold projects, one lead-zinc project and two antimony projects, with exploration work under way.

NRL plans to begin environmental, hydrogeological, metallurgical and geotechnical studies in 2027, with the aim of completing a bankable feasibility study by the end of the decade.

Tabba reaffirmed NRL’s previously announced commitment of $100 million to mineral exploration in Pakistan and invited domestic and international investors and service providers to explore emerging opportunities.

Although preliminary resource estimates have been prepared by an independent consultant, the company is withholding their release pending compliance with international reporting requirements. NRL is working towards completing its maiden mineral resource estimate in line with international standards.

The company has also partnered with the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) to develop a predictive artificial intelligence model aimed at accelerating exploration, using geological modelling and data gathered through its drilling programme.

“Our ambition is to build a world-class mineral exploration platform and contribute to an integrated mineral value chain, spanning discovery, mining, processing and further value addition,” Tabba said.

He said the programme was helping develop local expertise, with Baloch geologists working alongside international consultants and Pakistani contractors carrying out inclined drilling.

The company’s technical workforce is almost entirely local, supporting its ambition to build domestic expertise that could also contribute to international exploration projects.

Alongside its exploration programme, NRL is supporting education and community development through the newly established Chagai Foundation. Tabba urged industrialists, investors and corporate partners to contribute to its vision of “Enabling Balochistan”.

“The people of Balochistan must share in the opportunities created by their mineral wealth,” he said.