According to security authorities, Pakistan’s coastline has a lot of potential for ports.
Senior security officials have said that rumours that Pakistan is offering the US a naval station in Balochistan are not true. They said that these assertions are not true and are being spread in international media.
They stated that mentions of hypothetical future arrangements through public-private partnerships are only ideas, not real plans.
The security sources said that Pakistan’s coastline has a lot of potential for both big and small commercial ports. They also said that governments all over the world look at these kinds of partnership possibilities. In this case, Pakistan’s national interest would come first.
A source at a senior level added, “We don’t care what the US’s interests are.” What is best for Pakistan is all that matters to us.
He was answering a question on a recent Financial Times report that said “advisers to Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal [Asim] Munir have approached US officials with an offer to build and run a port on the Arabian Sea.” The British paper reported said it has “seen a plan” for the project.
The British daily said that some US officials talked of a plan for American investors to build and run a terminal in Pasni, a port town in Gwadar District in the province that borders Afghanistan and Iran, to get to Pakistan’s important minerals.
“The Chief of the Army Staff does not have any official advisers,” a high-ranking security/intelligence officer told FT.
“Talks or suggestions from private people or businesses are just that—talks or ideas—and should not be seen as government actions. In that context, the idea of a port on the southern coast also came up in private talks with the Mota Engil Group. It hasn’t been sent through official channels, hasn’t been looked at by any strategic or government body, and is still just a business proposal that needs more thought.
He further noted, “The piece acknowledges that it is not official policy, but it suggests a link to the army chief, which is not true.”
The security sources went on to say that “mines and minerals” are now more important than fossil fuels, which used to be the most important thing in the world economy.
“Mines and minerals give you a chance that might not be worth much tomorrow.” It takes “strategic patience” to explore them, and Pakistan would naturally be searching for “strategic partners” who might invest in and share technologies with the country so that it may get into its mineral wealth.
He indicated that the US, China, Saudi Arabia, or anyone else who wants to work with us might be one of these partners. “Pakistan would rather have a partnership that is based on its own interests and the facts on the ground.”
The briefing, which lasted for hours, talked on a lot of things, including the genocide of the Palestinian people by the Zionist state of Israel and the increasing law and order situation in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
When asked if there was a chance of a “deal” with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or a break for its leader, security sources claimed that the Pakistan Army had never had a “political relationship” with any political party in the past and didn’t want to have one now.
“Political parties and groups should talk to each other about politics, and they should keep doing so.” They argued that only the courts will be able to say what transpired on May 9.
Security sources said that Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan had no communication with the Military Intelligence (MI) because PTI has a “propensity” to include the Army in all aspects of national life. “We don’t have any ties to politicians and don’t want to have any.” Why do they want to talk to us about things? They should talk to other lawmakers. We don’t know anything about this area. We don’t want to do it, and we don’t have the energy for it.
Security sources indicated that the court martial procedures against former ISI chief lieutenant general (retd) Faiz Hameed were moving forward, even though they might seem slow. but “we have to be very, very careful when it comes to justice and the law.”
When asked if the general could get away with it, the source answered, “We don’t let [felons] run.” People at the top who do wrong can’t be forgiven.
Security sources talked a lot about how law and order and counterterrorism have gotten worse. They said that the connection between politicians, terrorists, and criminals is to blame for the deaths of thousands of terrorists and innocent people in recent years.
There was a long explanation of how many IBOs have been done each year and how many terrorists have been killed.
The security sources didn’t like the labels “hybrid regime” and “hybrid government,” and they said, “There is only one system working in the country, and that is the Constitution.” The Constitution of the country gave the chief executive the power to do anything that happened during Marka-e-Haq. There is no disagreement among the different parts of the state on any important subjects.