Overview

• Financial Times reporting said advisers to Army Chief Asim Munir privately floated a plan for a civilian terminal at Pasni to ship critical minerals, with a rail link, no U.S. basing, and an estimated cost of up to $1.2 billion.
• Senior Pakistani security officials and the military said there has been no official communication with the United States and that any discussions with companies were informal.
• A senior Trump administration official said the proposal has not been discussed by the president or his senior advisers.
• The blueprint positions Pasni near China-backed Gwadar and envisages mixed Pakistani and U.S.-backed development finance while explicitly excluding foreign military installations.
• Missouri-based US Strategic Metals signed an MoU with Pakistan’s military engineering arm in September, and Pakistan sent a small initial shipment of critical minerals to the company, as officials emphasize Pakistan will retain sole control of port security.