Pakistan pitches port on Arabian Sea to US; eye on minerals hub development: Report – The Times of India

Advisers to Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir, have reportedly approached US officials with a proposal to construct and operate a port at Pasni on the Arabian Sea, offering Washington a strategic presence in a geopolitically sensitive region. According to the Financial Times, the plan envisages transforming Pasni—a small fishing town—into a hub for transporting Pakistan’s critical minerals, including copper and antimony, essential for batteries, fire-retardant materials, and missile production. The town lies about 100 miles from Iran and 70 miles from Gwadar, where China operates a major port facility. The initiative, which is not official government policy, was reportedly shared with Munir ahead of his White House meeting with President Donald Trump last month. However, a senior Trump administration official clarified that the proposal had not reached the president or his advisers for discussion. The port plan forms part of a broader push by Pakistani officials to strengthen ties with the Trump administration. Other initiatives include collaboration on a Trump-backed cryptocurrency project, deeper cooperation against the Afghanistan-based militant group Isis-K, support for his Gaza peace plan, and access to critical minerals. US and Pakistani diplomats have described the relationship between Munir and Trump as “a bromance” since the president claimed credit in May for brokering a ceasefire between Pakistan and India. Over the summer, US-India relations have cooled, while Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly thanked Trump and even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Following their recent meeting, the White House released photographs showing Munir and Sharif presenting Trump with mineral samples. The Pasni port blueprint includes a railway to transport minerals from Pakistan’s interior, connecting to mines such as Reko Diq, developed by Canada’s Barrick Mining. The project’s estimated cost is $1.2 billion, with proposed funding from a mix of Pakistani federal and US-backed development finance. Supporters say the plan would diversify Pakistan’s strategic options while balancing relations with China, the US, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, following a recent security pact with Riyadh. The blueprint stated, “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.” It also flagged potential dual-use concerns at China’s Gwadar port under the Belt and Road Initiative, alluding to fears it could serve as a naval base, a claim denied by Islamabad and Beijing. The plan specifies no “direct basing,” meaning the port would not host US military installations. Pakistan has historically been a close US ally, first during the Cold War and then after the 9/11 attacks, but relations frayed due to Islamabad’s support for the Taliban in Afghanistan. One adviser, quoted by FT, said, “I’ve been telling our leaders we need to diversify from China. We don’t need to consult the Chinese as it’s outside the Gwadar concession.” Missouri-based US Strategic Metals (USSM) has shown early interest, signing a memorandum of understanding in September with Pakistan’s military engineering corps. USSM commercial director Mike Hollomon 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.” Late last month, Pakistan shipped a small first consignment of fewer than two tonnes of critical minerals, including copper, antimony, and neodymium, to USSM. The minerals sector currently accounts for about 3 per cent of Pakistan’s GDP, with large untapped reserves in insurgency-hit western provinces. Hussain Abidi, chair of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, described the initiative as, “This is a reset with America through economic ties rather than just the traditional security ties.”