KARACHI- A potentially game-changing discovery has been reported at Tarbela Dam. Gold Reserves in Tarbela have been valued at an astonishing $636 billion, in what experts are calling a potentially game-changing discovery for Pakistan’s economy. According to Hanif Gohar, Chairman of Air Karachi and former Senior Vice President of the FPCCI, soil samples taken from the Tarbela Dam revealed a significant presence of gold that could, he claims, completely offset the country’s external debt.
Speaking at the Karachi Press Club on Monday, Gohar revealed that soil samples were collected by divers from within the dam and later analyzed in a laboratory to determine their gold concentration. Based on the findings, he claimed that the total gold Reserves in Tarbela value within the dam’s soil could reach an astonishing $636 billion — an amount, he noted, that could potentially wipe out Pakistan’s external debt.
Gohar stated that the findings have already been shared with the Chief of Army Staff, who responded positively during a briefing. He added that his team is fully prepared to initiate the extraction process and has already consulted with dredging experts in Holland, as well as technical partners in Amsterdam and Canada.
“If the government grants permission, we’re ready to move forward immediately. We’ve even offered WAPDA the opportunity to carry out the project themselves — if not, Air Karachi will take it on and hand over the gold to the state,” Gohar said.
In addition to the revelation about the gold Reserves in Tarbela, Gohar also announced Air Karachi’s plans to launch domestic flight operations across Pakistan starting March 23, using three to five Airbus aircraft. The airline aims to expand into international routes after completing one year of successful local operations.
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Gohar further shared plans to develop Hyderabad’s first four-star hotel on a five-acre site, emphasizing the need to boost Pakistan’s construction and real estate sectors to address the country’s widening budget deficit. He remarked that Karachi’s business community continues to operate “on the back foot,” underscoring the need for renewed investor confidence and policy support to revive economic momentum.
