'Gwadar failed to transform Pakistan': Husain Haqqani questions Pak Army's new Pasni pitch to Trump

Former Pakistan ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, has dismissed the Pakistan Army's reported plan to court Donald Trump with a proposal to build a port at Pasni, calling the idea unrealistic and historically unconvincing.

"If China building Gwadar port did not transform Pakistan's economy, will offering US a port at Pasni change the country's fortunes? Unlikely," Haqqani posted on X. "There is no substitute for improving human capital, increasing productivity, & ensuring security & stability."

On Saturday, Financial Times reported that advisers to Army Chief Asim Munir presented a plan to Trump to develop a port in Pasni on the Arabian Sea, around 112 km from China-backed Gwadar and 160 km from the Iran border. According to the FT, the pitch is intended to give the US a strategic foothold in a sensitive region and to attract investment in Pakistan's critical minerals sector.

The plan reportedly includes a proposed $1.2 billion development funded through a mix of Pakistani and US-backed financing. The port would serve as a terminal linked to a future railway transporting minerals like copper and antimony from Pakistan's interior. While the blueprint excludes any direct military basing, the proposal is seen as a way to reframe US-Pakistan ties, which were strained during the US war in Afghanistan.

A senior Pakistani military official told the Financial Times that Munir "does not have any advisers in an official capacity," and that the idea "surfaced in private discussions" but was not submitted through official channels.

In another post, Haqqani cited a historical parallel. "In my book 'Magnificent Delusions,' I cite records that showed then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto inviting the US to invest in building a port at Gwadar in 1973. The port project did not materialize as envisaged."

Author and military historian Ayesha Siddiqa, too, questioned the need of another port when Gwadar is not working at full capacity. She said: "A major question is why open another port when existing ones are operating on half capacity. Why not use Gwadar or Port Qasim etc unless there is something else other monkey business that we don’t know about."

The FT report notes that the Pasni pitch is one of several ideas floated by Pakistani officials to stay in Trump's orbit, including cooperation on Afghanistan's ISIS-K, support for Trump's Gaza plan, and access to critical minerals. The paper describes a warming rapport between Munir and Trump, fueled by Trump's claimed role in a ceasefire during Operation Sindoor in May-claims India has officially rejected.