ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has not offered the United States access to a proposed port at Pasni, a senior security official told state-run Pakistan TV on Sunday, saying there had been no official communication with Washington and any discussions on the idea were “purely exploratory.”
The clarification follows a Financial Times report this week that advisers to Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had approached US officials with a proposal to build and operate a port on the Arabian Sea. The plan reportedly envisions American investors developing and managing a port in the southwestern town of Pasni, located in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, to facilitate access to Pakistan’s critical minerals.
A senior security official told Pakistan TV the report did not represent official government or military policy.
“Conversations with private companies were exploratory, not official initiatives,” the state-run digital outlet quoted him as saying on condition of anonymity.
“There is no plan to hand over Pasni’s security to any foreign power. The Chief of Army Staff does not have advisers in any official capacity. Linking these ideas directly to him is misleading and inaccurate,” he added, saying the army chief should not be directly linked with any such proposals.
Pasni, a small fishing town of about 70,000 people, has long been viewed as a potential site for port development because of its naturally deep waters.
“Pasni’s location may make it significant in global geopolitics … but at this stage, it is only an idea, not an initiative,” the official added.
The US State Department, White House and Pakistan’s army and foreign ministry have not commented on the FT report.
While the Pakistan TV report said the Pasni port proposal may have been floated by private parties but was never routed through official channels or reviewed at a strategic level, the Financial Times said the proposal was discussed with some US officials and shared with Munir ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House late last month.
The report highlighted that the plan does not include any provision for US military bases but sought development financing to build a rail network connecting the port to Pakistan’s mineral-rich western provinces.
China already has a major presence in Gwadar and the Pasni port proposal would offer the US a potential foothold in the region.
The development could add a new layer to the strategic competition between Washington and Beijing in the Indian Ocean. It may also test Islamabad’s ability to balance its ties with both powers while pursuing much-needed foreign investment.
