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Published : 05 Oct 2025, 12:42 AM
Pakistan has moved to court the United States with a proposal to build and operate a new port on the Arabian Sea, a plan that could give Washington a foothold in one of the region’s most sensitive strategic zones.
According to a report by the Financial Times, advisors to Pakistan’s Army chief Asim Munir have reached out to US officials, offering American investors the opportunity to develop the fishing town of Pasni into a port hub for accessing Pakistan’s critical minerals.
The proposal envisions Pasni -- located about 100 miles from Iran and 70 miles from China-backed Gwadar -- as a counterbalance to growing Chinese influence in the Arabian Sea.
The report said the plan, though not yet official policy, was shared with Munir ahead of his recent meeting with former US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Citing the document, it added that the port would be connected by rail to Pakistan’s mineral-rich interior and could cost up to $1.2 billion under a joint financing model involving the Pakistani government and US-backed development funds.
The blueprint read that the initiative would exclude any “direct basing”, meaning it would not serve as a US military installation. Advocates of the plan see it as part of Islamabad’s broader effort to diversify alliances while maintaining ties with China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
The Financial Times cited Pakistani officials saying Munir and Trump have developed a “close rapport” since Washington claimed credit for mediating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India earlier this year. In return, Trump has publicly praised Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who jointly nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The report noted that a US minerals company, Missouri-based US Strategic Metals, has already signed a memorandum of understanding with Pakistan’s military engineering arm to enhance collaboration in mineral exploration.
Its Commercial Director Mike Hollomon reportedly told the outlet that Pasni’s natural deep-water port and proximity to mineral sites make it a strategic location for future investment.
Pakistan recently shipped its first small consignment of critical and rare earth minerals, including copper and antimony, to the US.
Officials see this as an early step in refashioning Islamabad’s ties with Washington around trade and investment rather than security dependence.
Quoting Hollomon, the report said, “In our conversations with the field marshal, he stressed that Pakistan has been an ally of the US for a long time and minerals is a way to rekindle a dormant friendship.”
Hussain Abidi, head of the state-run Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, was also cited as saying that Pakistan’s vast untapped mineral reserves could mark “a reset with America through economic ties rather than just traditional security ties.”
