Pakistan has categorically denied that Islamabad offered the United States access to a potential port project in Pasni, Balochistan, a senior security official clarified on state media.
The official emphasized that no formal communication has occurred between Islamabad and Washington, and any conversations on the matter have been exploratory and unofficial.
This response follows a Financial Times article claiming that advisers to Army Chief General Asim Munir had proposed a plan to U.S. officials for American investors to develop and operate a port in Pasni, a coastal town in Balochistan’s Gwadar district. The proposed project reportedly aimed to improve access to Pakistan’s mineral resources.
However, the senior official stressed the government and military have not endorsed such a proposal. “No official plans exist, and discussions involving private entities were informal,” he said, speaking anonymously.
He added that the idea of transferring Pasni’s security to a foreign power is not under consideration. The official also rejected the notion that the army chief has official advisers involved in such proposals, calling such associations misleading.
Pasni, home to about 70,000 residents, is considered a strategic location due to its deep-sea potential, but the project remains conceptual. “Its geographic significance is noted, but there is no initiative in motion,” the official reiterated.
While the Financial Times reported that the proposal was reviewed by General Munir and discussed during a recent meeting with U.S. officials, Pakistani authorities and American agencies have not commented.
The port’s development, if pursued, could offer the U.S. a strategic presence near China’s existing foothold in Gwadar. It also reflects Pakistan’s delicate task of balancing its relationships with both Washington and Beijing amid a growing need for foreign investment.
