A stunning revelation about Tarbela Dam gold reserves has captured national attention after businessman Hanif Gohar claimed the dam’s soil contains gold worth $636 billion — enough, he says, to clear Pakistan’s national debt.

Speaking at the Karachi Press Club, Gohar, who is Chairman of Air Karachi and former senior vice president of FPCCI, said divers collected soil samples from inside the dam. Laboratory tests confirmed traces of gold, and by extrapolating the data, experts estimated the total value at $636 billion.

Gohar said he has briefed the Chief of Army Staff, who responded positively. “We have offered WAPDA the chance to take the lead. But if not, our company is ready to extract the gold and hand it to Pakistan,” he said. His team has already consulted dredging experts in Holland, Amsterdam, and Canada for project planning.

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Alongside the gold project, Gohar announced that Air Karachi will begin domestic flights on March 23, starting with three to five Airbus aircraft, and plans to launch international operations next year.

He also shared plans to build Hyderabad’s first four-star hotel on a five-acre site. Gohar emphasized that Pakistan must boost the construction sector to overcome its financial challenges, warning that Karachi’s business activity is “running on the back foot.”