It is very near the Line of Control, Chenab river passes by. There will be environmental considerations downstream.

Is it a political move to further send more military into the occupied territory. Either way Pakistan’s foreign ministry should quickly move forward to the UN to put either a mining embargo, or a stay-order on mining, or to escrow all the funds and proceeds. After all Kashmir belongs to Pakistan even if Pakistan has always taken the official stand that Kashmir issue should be resolved by referendum under the UN resolutions. If the Kashmir issue had been properly resolved, by now there would no humanitarian crisis, no bloodshed, no human rights violations; and Pakistan would be the owner of all this lithium.
The headline should be read as “India Announces First Significant Discovery of Lithium Reserves in illegally-occupied Jammu & Kashmir”.