National Resources Limited (NRL), a subsidiary of YB Pakistan Limited, Reliance Commodities (Private) Limited, and Liberty Mills Limited, has discovered substantial copper-gold mineralization in the Chagai district of Balochistan.
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The announcement was made by Muhammad Ali Tabba, Chairman of NRL and CEO of Lucky Cement Limited, while speaking at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025 on Tuesday.
NRL, a 100% Pakistani privately-owned company, was awarded a mineral exploration lease in October 2023. The licensed area included two known porphyry prospects with significant exploration potential. Over the past 15 months, the company has identified 18 new prospects, with one — known as “Tang Kaur” — advancing to the detailed drilling stage.
Tabba said that NRL has completed 13 diamond drill holes covering 3,517 meters, all of which intersected porphyry-style alteration, quartz vein sets, and sulfide mineralization. Initial results from six drill holes, covering 1,500 meters, confirmed strongly mineralized zones near the surface, with intervals ranging from 48 to 148 meters using a 0.2% copper cut-off grade.
The average grade of the intercepts ranges from 0.23% to 0.48% copper, 0.09 to 0.14 grams per ton (g/t) gold, and 1.30 to 6.21 g/t silver, resulting in a copper equivalent of 0.28% to 0.56%. The mineralized zone remains open to the north, east, and at greater depths, indicating further exploration potential.
Advanced drilling at the Tang Kaur site is scheduled to begin in May 2025, with an NI 43-101 Technical Report expected by the end of the year. Tabba added that full feasibility studies are planned to follow after three to four years of detailed exploration.
In addition to Tang Kaur, NRL has acquired a lead-zinc exploration license adjacent to a known deposit, where a Bankable Feasibility Study has already been completed. The company is also assessing the potential for downstream processing as part of a broader metal value chain strategy.
NRL is collaborating with the Government of Balochistan and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to secure two additional copper-gold exploration licenses in Chagai, supported by a dedicated $100 million exploration fund.
The company has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) to jointly explore newly acquired leases. Tabba said NRL plans to attract both local and international investors as exploration efforts expand.
