Pakistan Offers Washington New Arabian Sea Port To Tap Critical Minerals

Via The Cradle

Advisers to Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir proposed to US officials the construction of a new port on the Arabian Sea near the borders with Afghanistan and Iran, according to a Financial Times report released Saturday, citing a plan reviewed by the outlet.

The plan envisions US investors constructing and managing a terminal in Pasni, a coastal town in Gwadar District, Balochistan. The site is described as a gateway to Pakistan’s vital mineral reserves.

The blueprint rules out any US military bases. Instead, it highlights development finance opportunities for a rail network linking Pasni to mineral-rich western provinces, the report says.

The British financial outlet noted that the proposal was circulated to some US officials and later shared with Munir in advance of his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House. 

That meeting, held late last month, followed earlier talks in September when Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sought US investment in agriculture, energy, technology, and mining.

According to FT, Sharif pressed Washington to encourage private-sector involvement in Pakistan’s economy, while Munir’s advisers positioned the Pasni port project as a strategic opportunity for American companies.

The report noted that the initiative reflects Islamabad’s efforts to attract western development financing, particularly for infrastructure projects linked to the country’s resource sectors.

Reuters reported that the US State Department, the White House, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment. Attempts to reach the Pakistani Army were also unsuccessful.

Alongside economic overtures such as the Pasni port proposal to the US, Pakistan is also reshaping its defense posture in West Asia, utilizing its new mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia to anchor itself as a security guarantor.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed last month that the pact is defensive, not expansionist, and left the “door open” for other Arab states to join, comparing it to NATO.