ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistani security officials have dismissed reports that Islamabad offered the United States access to a naval base in Balochistan, calling them “unfounded and misleading.”
‘The Daily CEPC’, citing officials, stated that no official contact has taken place with Washington regarding any port or naval base project in Pasni, a coastal town in Gwadar district. They clarified that Pakistan has not discussed, offered, or considered granting the US access to any naval facility,
A senior security source told state broadcaster Pakistan Television that the Financial Times report — which claimed advisers to the army chief had approached U.S. officials with a port proposal — was based on informal, private discussions and did not represent state policy.
“The Field Marshal has no official advisers on this matter,” the source said, adding that “Pasni’s security will not be handed over to any foreign power.”
Officials confirmed that some exploratory commercial talks, including with Portugal’s Mota Engil Group, had taken place but stressed these were never reviewed or approved by any government or military body. “Linking such business discussions directly to the army chief is inaccurate and misleading,” one official added.
Pakistan’s security establishment emphasized that the country’s 1,000-kilometre coastline holds vast potential for new commercial ports. Any future partnerships — with the U.S., China, or Saudi Arabia — will be guided strictly by Pakistan’s national interest, not external influence.
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“Global trade has shifted from fossil fuels to minerals and metals,” an official said. “Pakistan wants strategic investors who bring technology and capital, not foreign military powers.”
The U.S. State Department, White House, and Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry have not commented on the Financial Times report.
