According to Pakistan’s plan, the civilian port is to be established in Pasni, a town within Balochistan’s Gwadar district, positioned strategically near India’s Chabahar port.
Pakistan Offers USA Land for Port — In a bid to reorient its relationship with the United States, Pakistan has extended an offer to President Donald Trump to develop and manage a port along the Arabian Sea, the Financial Times revealed. The port would be established in Pasni, Gwadar district, Balochistan—strategically positioned near India’s Chabahar project in Iran.
DEEP-WATER PORT IN PASNI
As per the plan, Washington would establish and operate a terminal at Pasni port, granting it access to Pakistan’s vital mineral resources. Pasni, situated in the troubled province of Balochistan, is positioned close to Afghanistan and Iran.
This development follows a September meeting at the White House, where Pakistan’s army chief and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sat down with Donald Trump behind closed doors.
At the talks, Sharif pressed for US investment in Pakistan’s mining and energy sectors, and General Munir highlighted the country’s mineral resources.
Viral photos later showed Munir gifting Trump a wooden box filled with rare earth minerals after the meeting.
Munir’s push to woo Washington overlapped with a $500 million commitment by a US metals company to partner with Pakistan in tapping strategic minerals intended for defence and high-tech industries.
Having been distanced during Joe Biden’s presidency, Pakistan is attempting to recalibrate by engaging Trump directly, offering access to untapped oil, gas, and mineral wealth, especially in the volatile Balochistan region.
Still, it is uncertain whether the Pasni port proposal formed part of Munir’s conversations with Trump.
The plan explicitly rules out any military role for the facility, underscoring instead Islamabad’s request for American funding to build a rail link from the port to resource-rich western provinces.
Pakistan Offers USA Land for Port: What US Will Gain and Implications for India
Islamabad has pitched Pasni to Washington as a strategic asset, pointing out that its proximity to Iran and Central Asia could strengthen US trade corridors and widen American influence in the Arabian Sea and beyond.
However, just 100 kilometres away stands Gwadar port, heavily funded and run by China, raising questions about overlapping spheres of influence.
Should the US move forward on the Pasni port project, Pakistan will face the challenge of balancing the regional power game.
For India, the development is of particular interest as Pasni lies barely 300 km from Chabahar, where it is pushing ahead with construction of the Shahid Beheshti terminal.
Chabahar offers India a strategic lifeline to bypass Pakistan and secure connectivity to Afghanistan and Central Asia. In 2024, India and Iran formalized a 10-year deal to jointly oversee the terminal’s operations.
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Pakistan Offers US Role in Developing and Operating Arabian Sea Port: Report
Financial Times reported Friday that aides of Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir contacted US officials with a plan to develop and operate a port along the Arabian Sea.
The proposal calls for American investors to establish and manage a terminal at Pasni, a port town in Gwadar District, Balochistan province—strategically located near Afghanistan and Iran—to facilitate access to Pakistan’s mineral wealth.
The initiative comes on the heels of a September White House session in which Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with President Trump. During the meeting, Sharif reportedly encouraged US companies to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture, technology, mining, and energy sectors.
The Financial Times noted that the offer had been presented to select US officials and briefed to Munir prior to his late-month White House meeting with Trump. The plan emphasizes civilian development, explicitly excluding US military bases, and seeks funding for a railway linking Pasni port to the mineral-rich regions of western Pakistan.
What does the blueprint say?
“Pasni’s strategic position near Iran and Central Asia could widen US trade and security options. Its development would counterbalance China’s Gwadar port and strengthen American presence in the Arabian Sea and Central Asia. Gwadar investments under the Belt and Road Initiative raise potential dual-use concerns,” the blueprint said, per the Financial Times, noting US apprehensions over a Chinese naval presence, which both Islamabad and Beijing deny.
US Strategic Metals (USSM), based in Missouri, signed an MoU with Pakistan’s military engineering division in September to enhance collaboration.
Mike Hollomon, USSM’s commercial director, stated that the company intends to establish a refinery and had recently met port directors near Karachi and a Gwadar representative. He added that Pasni, with its natural deep-water port and potential rail link to the Reko Diq mine, makes a compelling location for a facility, according to the Financial Times.
Hollomon added, “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.”