ISLAMABAD — Former Senate chairperson Raza Rabbani on Monday demanded that the federal government immediately brief parliament on its emerging US policy, expressing alarm over reports of mineral sales and a potential deal to offer Pasni port to Washington. “It is the people’s right to know the direction of foreign policy,” he said, warning that the US “has never been a reliable friend.”
Rabbani criticised the government for bypassing the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and neglecting provincial rights under Article 172 of the Constitution, which gives provinces 50 per cent ownership of mineral resources. He said provinces were the “real stakeholders” in any deal involving rare earth minerals, calling it “unfortunate” that details surfaced through the media rather than parliament.
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The remarks came after reports that US Strategic Metals (USSM) had dispatched Pakistan’s first shipment of mineral samples, including copper and rare earth elements, as part of a $500 million investment deal. Rabbani warned that offering Pasni port to the US could trigger “serious regional repercussions.”
Echoing his concern, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram urged full disclosure of all US-related agreements, warning against “reckless and secretive deals” that could harm Pakistan’s sovereignty. Military sources, however, dismissed reports of any official US port arrangement, describing it as merely “a commercial idea.”
