PASOE 12.1 and parameter (-param)

I wonder why this is happening. In my openedge.properties file I have the following for connecting to some databases and to set a some parameters etc... 

agentStartupParam=-T "E:\Progress\PASOE\pasBAFO/temp" -pf ../openedge/sp_pasBAFO.pf

sp_pasbafo.pf:

-yy 1920

-E
-s 1000
-d dmy

-db bafo -H qa-sxd6e-005 -S 2015
#-db mypage -H qa-sxd6e-005 -S 9001
-db arkiv -H qa-sxd6e-005 -S 2025
-db rapport -H qa-sxd6e-005 -S 2016
-db perform -H qa-sxd6e-005 -S 2030

-param "-H qa-sxd6e-005 -S 3050 -DirectConnect"

This is working swell, and I am able to use -param to connect to a appserver. But if I change the .pf file, so that it is not connecting any databases, in other words chancing the sp_pasbafo.pf files like this:

sp_pasbafo.pf:

-yy 1920

-E
-s 1000
-d dmy

-param "-H qa-sxd6e-005 -S 3050 -DirectConnect"

it fails with the following error:

2020-02-15T13:28:24.376+0100 003540 004164 1 AS-Listener mtapsv:-:? -- Log entry types activated: ASPlumbing,DB.Connects
2020-02-15T13:28:24.376+0100 003540 004164 2 AS-Listener mtapsv:-:? AS Starting MSAS Session for pasBAFO.
2020-02-15T13:28:24.376+0100 003540 004164 1 AS-Listener mtapsv:-:? -- You have not supplied a parameter for argument -param. (1403)
2020-02-15T13:28:24.376+0100 003540 004164 1 AS-Listener mtapsv:-:? -- Unable to process parameters. (5509)
2020-02-15T13:28:24.376+0100 003540 004164 1 AS-Listener mtapsv:-:? -- Unable to process parameters. (5509)

Why is that happening? How can I startup with -param without any -db ?