The plan reportedly envisages investors from the US building and operating a port in the town of Pasni in Gwadar district, Balochistan province to enable access to critical minerals in the region. Representative image: courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Pakistan approaches US to build, operate $1.2 bn worth port on Arabian Sea: Report
Advisers to Field Marshal Munir reportedly proposed a port built and operated by US investors at Pasni to link mineral-rich western provinces by rail, excluding military use
US officials have reportedly been approached by advisers to the Pakistani Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir with an offer, valued at up to $1.2 billion, to construct and operate a port on the Arabian Sea.
The plan, according to a report in Financial Times, envisages investors from the United States building and operating a port in the town of Pasni in Gwadar district, Balochistan province, to enable access to critical minerals in the region. Pasni is on the border with Afghanistan and Iran.
The proposed port is strategically placed close to Chabahar port, which is being developed by India in Iran.
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"Pasni’s proximity to Iran and Central Asia enhances US options for trade and security . . . Engagement at Pasni would counterbalance Gwadar . . . and expand US influence in the Arabian Sea and Central Asia. China’s Gwadar investments under the Belt and Road Initiative raise dual-use concerns,” the blueprint stated, as per the newspaper.
The port, as per the report, excludes access for US military bases.
Pak seeks US investment
When Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Munir met US President Donald Trump at the White House last month, Sharif reportedly sought investments from American companies in Pakistan in sectors like energy, mining, agriculture, and technology.
It was during that time the offer to build a port in Pakistan was shared with some US officials.
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The plan reportedly aims to attract development finance to set up a rail network linking the proposed port to the western provinces in Pakistan that are rich in minerals. It excludes the use of the port for US military bases.
This report has not yet been confirmed by any of the parties involved, including the Pakistani Army, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the White House, or the US State Department.