ISLAMABAD: Security sources say that no offer for Pasni Port has been made by Pakistan, nor has any such proposal been considered at any official or strategic level.
Sources say that there has been no discussion with the White House or any US agency regarding Pasni Port.
Discussions in the private sector, including contacts with foreign companies, are merely preliminary business negotiations. These are not official initiatives nor do they represent Pakistan’s state policy.
The related news item presented a private and unconfirmed idea as a state proposal, which is not correct. The media is required to verify the accuracy of this headline with the ISPR.
According to sources, the news item blurs the distinction between private level contacts and official policy, which creates the impression that there is institutional support for this idea, which is misleading. The report said that the project is “not an official policy”, but at the same time it was shown to be close to the army chief’s agenda. This is a contradiction.
The report conflates two different things by referring to “non-official and private” and “official sources” at the same time, which has created a misunderstanding.
The report itself admitted that Pasni’s idea was “private” and “non-official”, yet it sought confirmation from a senior US official and then included that response in the news story to make it appear as if an official proposal was under discussion. This style of reporting is self-contradictory and falsely associates private conversations with state policy.
It is an overstatement to link a private and unconfirmed trade idea with external concerns. Pakistan, like other sovereign nations, balances its relations. India trades extensively with China, has relations with Russia, cooperates with the US, and maintains ties with Iran and Israel, which is called strategic autonomy.
The same principle should apply to Pakistan. Pakistan’s current projects, including CPEC, remain in place. Any new project proposal, if ever it comes up, will go through a transparent and institutional process.
Projects of an economic or strategic nature start through ministerial, regulatory and cabinet-level processes, not private discussions. If a private proposal is considered to be of national interest or commercially viable, it is taken forward through formal registration, security and economic screening, and legal processes.
Pakistan has not made any offer regarding Pasni Port. It is merely a concept being discussed at the private business level, which has not yet reached any government or policy level consideration.