Advisers to Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, have approached American officials with a proposal to build and manage a port on the Arabian Sea in Pasni district, Balochistan province. This strategic facility is located at the entrance to the Indian Ocean and is in close proximity to the Chinese port of Gwadar, which recently resumed operations after a pause caused by the Baloch separatist insurgency along Route N85 of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to the Financial Times, the plan calls for an investment of up to $1,2 billion by American companies to create a terminal that would provide access to Pakistan's critical minerals, such as copper and antimony.

The proposal excludes military use of the port, focusing instead on building a railway network to connect Pasni with the resource-rich western provinces. This would allow Washington to expand its influence in the Arabian Sea and Central Asia, countering the possible development of the Iranian port of Chabahar, which China is interested in as an alternative to Gwadar. Islamabad's initiative follows the recent agreement between Tehran and New Delhi to create a trade corridor between India and Uzbekistan, which is intensifying geopolitical competition in the region.

Munir also proposed a major deal with the US on rare earth metals, granting access to resource-rich areas, including the giant Reko Diq mine, where copper and gold reserves are estimated to be worth billions of dollars. These negotiations reflect Pakistan's desire to attract American investment to stabilize the economy amid internal challenges in Balochistan.