Pakistan is pitching a bold plan to develop a new port in the fishing town of Pasni on the Arabian Sea, aiming to attract U.S. investment and secure a strategic foothold in a geopolitically sensitive region, according to a report by The Financial Times. The proposal, crafted by advisers to Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, envisions a $1.2 billion project funded by a mix of Pakistani federal resources and U.S.-backed development finance.
Located 160km from Iran and 112km from China-backed Gwadar port, the Pasni terminal would facilitate the export of critical minerals like copper and antimony, linked to a new railway from Pakistan’s interior. The plan, which explicitly avoids U.S. military basing, is designed to rebuild strained U.S.-Pakistan ties, frayed by Pakistan’s past support for the Taliban during the Afghanistan war.
While not official policy, the proposal was shared with Munir before his recent White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and floated to some U.S. officials. A senior Trump administration official, however, said the proposal hasn’t been discussed by the president or his team. A Pakistani military official clarified that the idea emerged in private talks with U.S. businesses, not through official channels, and remains a commercial concept under review.
The port is one of several ideas Pakistan is exploring to deepen ties with the Trump administration, including cooperation on a Trump-backed crypto venture, countering ISIS-K in Afghanistan, endorsing his Gaza peace plan, and offering access to critical minerals. The FT report notes a growing rapport between Munir and Trump, dubbed a “bromance” by diplomats, especially after Trump claimed credit for a May ceasefire between Pakistan and India—claims India has rejected.
Pakistani officials see the port as a way to leverage South Asia’s shifting geopolitics. One adviser told the FT that U.S.-Pakistan relations had soured in recent decades, allowing India to fill the void, but recent engagements have shifted the dynamic. At their latest meeting, Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gifted Trump a display of mineral samples, signaling Pakistan’s intent to strengthen economic ties.
