LITHIUM metal is emerging with a very high hope in future, especially its requirement for the battery industry for electrical cars and mobile phones. Just notice its volatile price fluctuation in the market ranging up to $20,000 per tonne.

In Afghanistan its deposit is considered one of the world-class deposits across our Kafristan valley in the Chitral area. Some people successfully worked out its extension into Pakistan. The present writer has collected some stream concentrate samples, both from up and down streams of the Tarbela area and got its XRF analysis confirming lithium both up and down stream.

Now it has become a big story purely from an exploration point of view. I would like to say through these columns that the Geological Survey of Pakistan may pick this point for its inclusion of regional survey.

Iftikhar A. Malik

Lahore

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2018