Pakistan has proposed to the US the development of a civilian port in Pasni, Balochistan, to enhance bilateral relations amidst shifting dynamics.
Pakistan has reportedly approached US President Donald Trump with an offer to build and run a port on the Arabian Sea as it seeks to warm up to America amid a reset in ties. The proposed civilian port in Pasni, a town in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, is strategically close to the Chabahar port, being developed by India in Iran.
Interestingly, Pasni is located just 100 km from Gwadar, where China operates the port facility.
According to the Financial Times, the advisers to Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have approached top US officials with the offer to transform the fishing town of Pasni into a hub for transporting Pakistan’s critical minerals, including copper and antimony, essential for batteries, fire-retardant materials, and missile production. The development of the deep-water port is expected to cost $1.2 billion.
DEEP-WATER PORT IN PASNI
As per the blueprint, the US would build and operate a terminal at the port, giving it access to Pakistan’s critical minerals in Pasni. The town in the restive Balochistan province borders Afghanistan and Iran.
The development comes days after Pakistan army chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a closed-door meeting with Trump at the White House in September.
In the meeting, Sharif sought investment from American companies in the mining sector. Later, the White House shared a photograph showing Munir handing over a wooden box filled with rare earth minerals to Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Previously, Pakistan offered the US its vast untapped oil, gas, and mineral resources, mostly in the troubled Balochistan region.
However, it is not known if Munir discussed the port deal offer with Trump.
The blueprint, however, rules out the use of the port for US military purposes or setting up of a military base.
Is Pakistan playing both China and US?
Pakistan’s “sweet offer” to the US comes as its “all-weather” ally China grows increasingly frustrated with Islamabad.
According to Pakistan’s Planning Commission, only 32 of the 95 projects announced under CPEC have been completed to date despite billions pouring in from Beijing.
Critics argue that Islamabad has overpromised and under-delivered, allowing corruption, bureaucratic red tape, and insurgency to hollow out what was once marketed as a “game-changer.”
Pakistan is facing mounting security failures, an economic crisis that has gutted investor confidence, and growing frustration in Beijing over Islamabad’s inability to protect Chinese nationals.