KARACHI: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan provides the most convenient sea trade corridor to the Central Asian states.
The Prime Minister was chairing a meeting regarding the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority and Pakistan National Shipping Corporation in Karachi on Sunday. He said the Malir Expressway must be connected with the seaport to ensure quick delivery of goods.
During the meeting, the prime minister also directed the relevant authorities to keep the Lyari Expressway open round the clock for transportation of goods from the Karachi Port Trust.
Besides, he directed to enhance railways’ capacity of shifting goods to the Karachi Port. The Prime Minister also advised reducing fees for LNG ships at the Port Qasim at par with the current rates at the international level.
He emphasized the need to ensure the early installation of state-of-the-art scanning machinery at the Pakistan seaports. He added steps should be taken to improve the capacity of ports to take full advantage of their potential.
Shehbaz Sharif called for measures to cut short the customs clearance time by installing modern equipment and machinery at the Port Qasim and Karachi Port Trust. He said exports of value addition industries can be enhanced by developing the existing ports in Karachi.
The Prime Minister also sought a comprehensive plan for the regulation of shipping lines. He further ordered the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation to present an action plan for effective operations and reduce its costs.
He noted that Pakistan can earn foreign exchange worth billions of dollars by ensuring a modern system and better accessibility at its ports.
Shehbaz Sharif said the development of the private sector, facilitation for investors and ease of doing business are top priorities of the government. He said that the economy of Pakistan is stable and moving towards development and progress. He reaffirmed to provide all possible facilities to exporters for the development of the export sector of the country.
He viewed that Pakistan provides the most convenient sea trade corridor to the Central Asian states, which have a keen interest in utilizing it.
During the meeting, a detailed briefing was given about the operations of the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim, and the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation.
The Prime Minister, on the occasion, instructed to present a comparative report regarding the performance of the Karachi Port Trust and other ports of the region.
