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November 9, 2026

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Faisal Mosque and the Islamabad skyline seen from the Margalla Hills
Pakistan

Islamabad’s Big Diplomatic Week: Shehbaz Heads to Türkiye for COP31 as Pakistan Hosts Minerals Summit, Margalla Dialogue and ECO Ministers

Faizan Altaf

Islamabad is about to have one of its busiest diplomatic weeks in years. In the space of seven days, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will fly to Türkiye for the COP31 climate summit, the capital will host a major security dialogue and a global minerals investment forum, and foreign ministers from across the region will arrive for a key Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) meeting.

It is a week that says a lot about how Pakistan wants the world to see it right now: as a country that talks climate, courts mining investment, debates global security and builds trade links with its neighbours — all at the same time.

Here is what is happening, when, and why each event matters.

Shehbaz Sharif flies to Türkiye for COP31

The week starts with the prime minister on the move. Shehbaz Sharif will pay a three-day visit to Türkiye from Tuesday, 10 November, where he will lead Pakistan’s delegation at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, according to 24NewsHD and Aaj News.

COP31, the 31st United Nations climate change conference, opened on Monday, 9 November, at the Antalya EXPO Center and runs until 20 November. The Leaders’ Summit — the part of the conference where heads of state and government speak and set the political direction — takes place on 11 and 12 November.

The prime minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with senior Turkish leaders during the visit, with talks focused on strengthening relations and cooperation between the two countries.

For Pakistan, COP31 is not just another conference. The country is one of the most climate-vulnerable in the world, despite producing only a tiny share of global emissions. The 2022 floods caused about $30 billion in damage and economic losses, according to a post-disaster assessment led by Pakistan’s planning ministry with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union and United Nations agencies. That experience shapes everything Pakistan asks for at climate talks: money for adaptation, help with losses and damage, and investment in clean energy.

Pakistan’s pavilion at COP31 is scheduled to host 56 engagements over the two weeks, involving more than 30 partners from government, international organisations, research institutions and civil society, according to the Climate Change Ministry’s official programme. Two sessions stand out. On 10 November, a session called “Pakistan’s People-Led Solar Revolution” will look at distributed solar power, battery storage and the reforms needed to manage a fast-growing rooftop solar market. On 11 November, the National Disaster and Risk Management Fund will present “Pakistan’s Climate Investment Pipeline: From Project Preparation to International Climate Finance” — in plain terms, how Pakistan turns climate projects into bankable deals that foreign investors can fund.

Margalla Dialogue: two days of debate on a changing world order

While the prime minister is in Türkiye, Islamabad will host the Margalla Dialogue 2026 on 10 and 11 November at the Marriott Hotel. The two-day dialogue is organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and brings together international security experts, policymakers, diplomats and strategic thinkers.

This year’s theme is “Global Order in Transition: Navigating Strategic Uncertainty” — a fitting title for a world dealing with wars, trade tensions, shifting alliances and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.

The Margalla Dialogue has become one of Pakistan’s best-known annual platforms for discussing foreign policy and security. Previous editions have drawn scholars and officials from around the world to debate questions such as whether the global order is sliding towards multipolarity, and how smaller and middle-sized countries can protect their interests when big powers disagree.

The timing is no accident. The dialogue opens just as COP31 gets going and days before the minerals forum, which means many of the same questions — energy, trade routes, regional cooperation — will run through all three events.

The Minerals Summit: Pakistan pitches its underground wealth

The biggest business event of the week is the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 (PMIF26), which runs on 12 and 13 November at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad.

This is the second edition of the forum, and it is being billed as Pakistan’s flagship pitch to global mining investors. The theme is “Pakistan: The Next Critical Minerals Destination.” The forum is organised by the Government of Pakistan, endorsed by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), with the state-run Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC) as its founding partner.

The guest list is heavyweight. International speakers include John L. Thornton, chairman of Barrick Mining Corporation; Robert Friedland, founder and executive co-chairman of Ivanhoe Mines; Patrick Barnes and Wael Jaber of Wood Mackenzie; Mustafa Aksoy, chief executive of Türkiye’s Çalık Group; and Isabel Chatterton of the Asian Development Bank. Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik will deliver the welcome address, and OGDC chief Ahmed Hayat Lak, who is serving as PMIF president, will deliver the closing remarks.

Exhibitors include the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Mari Energies, Government Holdings (Private) Limited, the Reko Diq Mining Company, the Frontier Works Organization, National Resources (Private) Limited and Barrick Mining Corporation, among others.

Why Reko Diq is the star of the show

Much of the attention will fall on Reko Diq, the giant copper and gold project in Balochistan. Barrick holds 50 per cent of the project, with the governments of Pakistan and Balochistan holding the other 50 per cent. Production is expected to start in 2028.

Reko Diq matters because it is the test case for everything Pakistan is promising investors: that big mining projects can actually get built, that the rules are stable, and that the money flows. If it succeeds, it could open the door to investment in other minerals across the country.

The forum’s agenda shows how Pakistan is thinking about the sector. The opening day, 12 November, will focus on financing early-stage exploration, developing a future-ready mining workforce and women’s participation in the sector. Day two, 13 November, will feature a government dialogue on building investor-ready mining jurisdictions — in other words, what governments must do to make investors feel safe putting money into the ground.

The technical programme includes more than 50 peer-reviewed papers, geological survey data, technology assessments and a workshop on innovation in critical minerals mining.

Pakistan will use the forum to pitch its mineral wealth, which officials have valued at about $6 trillion, to global investors. That figure covers everything from copper and gold to lithium, rare earths and other minerals the world needs for electric vehicles, batteries and clean energy. The challenge, as ever, is turning rock in the ground into revenue — and doing it in a way that benefits the communities where the minerals are found.

ECO foreign ministers arrive on 15 November

The week closes with regional diplomacy. Pakistan will host the two-day Foreign Ministers’ Conference of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) on 15 and 16 November in Islamabad.

This is the 30th ECO Council of Ministers meeting, and Pakistan is chairing the ECO Council of Ministers for 2026–27 under the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO.” ECO Secretary General Dr Asad Majeed Khan has confirmed the dates, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting on 6 November to finalise preparations.

The ECO has ten members: Pakistan, Iran, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Together they form a region that connects South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe — and one that has long talked about trading more with itself and less through faraway routes.

The Islamabad meeting is expected to focus on practical steps: strengthening regional trade corridors, making it easier for goods and people to move, improving transport links between Central Asia and the Arabian Sea, and expanding economic cooperation. Participating foreign ministers are also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

One notable guest will be Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is expected to call on both the prime minister and Ishaq Dar during the visit.

One decision still to come: the SCO invitation from India

Beyond this week’s diary, one more diplomatic decision is pending. Pakistan has received a formal invitation from India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s first Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi from 20 to 22 November. The invitation, addressed to Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, was confirmed by the Foreign Office at its weekly briefing on Friday, 6 November.

Pakistan has not yet accepted or declined. The decision will be taken by the country’s leadership after consultations. The forum, proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin in September 2025, will bring together culture ministers from all ten SCO member states and representatives from more than 25 countries.

Why this week matters

Taken one by one, these are four separate events. Taken together, they add up to something bigger: a concentrated attempt by Pakistan to present itself as a connector country.

The climate message is aimed at the world: Pakistan suffers the consequences of warming it did little to cause, and it wants finance and technology to adapt. The minerals message is aimed at investors: the country’s underground wealth is open for business, with Reko Diq as proof. The Margalla Dialogue message is aimed at thinkers and policymakers: Pakistan wants a seat at the table where the future world order is debated. And the ECO meeting is aimed at the neighbourhood: trade and connectivity with Central Asia and the wider region matter more than ever.

There are risks, of course. Climate talks often end with promises that take years to become money. Mining investment depends on security, stable rules and infrastructure in remote areas. And regional cooperation in a neighbourhood as complicated as this one is never easy.

But the diary itself is the story. For one week in November, Islamabad will be at the centre of conversations about climate, minerals, security and regional trade — and the rest of the world will be watching to see what comes out of it.

What to watch this week

  • Monday, 9 November: COP31 opens in Antalya, Türkiye, and runs until 20 November.
  • Tuesday, 10 November: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif begins a three-day visit to Türkiye for the COP31 Leaders’ Summit. The Margalla Dialogue opens in Islamabad.
  • Wednesday, 11 November: The COP31 Leaders’ Summit continues. Pakistan’s climate investment pipeline session takes place at the Pakistan Pavilion.
  • Thursday–Friday, 12–13 November: The Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum (PMIF26) takes place at the Jinnah Convention Centre, Islamabad.
  • Saturday–Sunday, 15–16 November: The 30th ECO Council of Ministers meeting takes place in Islamabad, chaired by Pakistan.

Frequently asked questions

What is COP31?

COP31 is the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — the annual meeting where almost every country in the world negotiates action on climate change. This year’s conference is hosted by Türkiye in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026.

What is the Margalla Dialogue?

The Margalla Dialogue is an annual security and foreign policy conference organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI). It brings together international experts, diplomats and policymakers to discuss global politics, security and economics. The 2026 edition runs on 10 and 11 November under the theme “Global Order in Transition: Navigating Strategic Uncertainty.”

What is the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum?

The Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum (PMIF26) is a two-day conference in Islamabad on 12 and 13 November 2026 that connects Pakistan’s mineral resources with global investors, mining companies and financial institutions. It is organised by the Government of Pakistan and endorsed by the Special Investment Facilitation Council.

What is the ECO?

The Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) is a regional group of ten countries: Pakistan, Iran, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It works on trade, transport and economic cooperation across the region. Pakistan is chairing its Council of Ministers for 2026–27.

Why is Reko Diq important?

Reko Diq is one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits, located in Balochistan. Barrick Mining Corporation holds 50 per cent, with Pakistan and Balochistan holding the rest. Production is expected to start in 2028, and the project is seen as a test of whether Pakistan can attract and deliver large-scale mining investment.

Conclusion

From Antalya to Islamabad, this is a week of firsts and follow-throughs for Pakistani diplomacy. The prime minister will make Pakistan’s climate case to world leaders in Türkiye. Back home, security experts will debate the changing world order, mining giants will weigh billion-dollar bets, and regional foreign ministers will talk trade corridors.

Whether the week produces concrete deals or just good photographs will become clear in the days that follow. But for a country that often finds itself reacting to events, setting the agenda for a full week of international diplomacy is a statement in itself.

Sources

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

Faizan Altaf

Faizan Altaf is the founder and author of findivoza.com, a news blog covering world, Pakistan, business, technology, health and sport in plain English. He writes for general readers who want clear, trustworthy news without jargon. His work focuses on explaining what happened, why it matters, and what to watch next.

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