KARACHI: Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the chief of Jama’at-ud-Da’wah (JuD), a UN-designated terrorist organization, has said that its political front, the Milli Muslim League (MML), will make Hyderabad Deccan, Junagadh and Kashmir part of Pakistan. They had opted to join it but were forcibly occupied by India.
Addressing an election gathering in Karachi’s North Nazimabad neighborhood, Saeed said the MML, which unlike like other leagues being curved out of Pakistan Muslim League is not personality-centric, will complete the mission of the founder of Pakistan.
Nearly 300 candidates of the MML, a party blacklisted by the US because of alleged terror links, are contesting under the banner of Allah-o-Akber Tehreek (AAT).
Hafiz Saeed on Sunday arrived in the megacity of Karachi to address three election gatherings in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Nazimabad and Orangi Town neighborhoods of the city and lead a rally to visit different vicinities.
“Pakistan is a gift of God as it was created on 27th Ramadan. When Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was asked about the government, he said we have a model to follow, which was presented and practiced 1400 years ago,” the JuD chief said, adding that in the past 70 years the rules didn’t run the state according to the wishes of the founder, owing to which the areas occupied by India couldn’t be secured.
“Had Pakistan been run according to the wishes of Quid, the Hyderabad Deccan, Junagadh and Kashmir would have become part of our country long before,” he said, vowing that the MML, after forming a government in the country, will make these areas part of Pakistan.
Saeed urged a large number of women participants of the gathering to start a door-to-door campaign to pass on the message. “I urge my brothers and sisters to start a door to door campaign. We have kicked off a movement. People are contesting elections for their party we are fighting election for Pakistan.”
The Milli Muslim League, which was proscribed as a terrorist group by the US in April 2018, had announced it would push for its registration as a political party with the Election Commission of Pakistan but if that failed it would field independent candidates from across Pakistan.
Later it announced it would contest elections under the banner of AAT with 265 contestants. The number, however, reached 300 when independent candidates also announced to contest with the symbol “Chair.”
JuD chief, Hafiz Saeed, addresses election rallies in Karachi
JuD chief, Hafiz Saeed, addresses election rallies in Karachi
- The Jama’at-ud-Da’wah (JuD) chief vows to make Hyderabad Deccan, Junagadh and Kashmir part of Pakistan after coming into power
- Around 300 MML candidates are contesting the 2018 general election under the banner of Allah-o-Akber Tehreek (AAT)
Pakistan plans $80 million seafood zone at Karachi harbor to target Gulf markets
- Plan aims to move exports away from raw seafood toward higher-value processed products
- Project will be developed under public-private partnership or build-operate-transfer model
KARACHI: Pakistan plans to develop a seafood processing and export zone at Karachi’s Korangi Fisheries Harbor that could cost up to $80 million to boost value-added exports and position the country as a supplier to the Gulf and other regional markets, Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said on Saturday.
The proposed 100-acre project aims to shift Pakistan away from exporting raw seafood by building modern processing, cold-chain and packaging infrastructure linked to international buyers, as Islamabad looks to expand its blue economy and deepen maritime trade ties with the region.
In a statement, Chaudhry said the zone would be developed, financed and operated under a public-private partnership or build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with private investors running the facilities and the Qur’angi Fisheries Harbor Authority retaining regulatory oversight.
“The estimated project cost ranges between $60 million and $80 million, based on regional benchmarks from countries such as Vietnam, China and Ecuador, which have developed similar seafood parks,” Chaudhry said.
He said the facility would include 20 to 25 medium- to large-scale seafood processing units for fish, shrimp and cephalopods, alongside large-scale cold storage, blast freezing, packaging facilities, logistics and export terminals, and a wastewater treatment plant to ensure environmentally compliant operations.
“Packaging and labeling units would operate under international food safety and quality standards, including HACCP and ISO certifications, offering vacuum packing, modified atmosphere packaging and retail-ready solutions,” he said, referring to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a preventive food safety system.
ISO certification verifies that a company’s management systems meet international standards.
The minister said the zone would be used exclusively for commercial seafood processing, packaging, cold storage and export-oriented activities, with multi-temperature storage ranging from minus 18 to minus 40 degrees Celsius and ice plants capable of producing 50 to 100 tons daily.
Chaudhry said the preferred investment structure is a BOT concession under which the private partner would finance, develop and operate the project for an expected 20-year tenure, with ownership reverting to the harbor authority at the end of the concession period.
He added that the estimated internal rate of return was projected between 13 percent and 17 percent, with revenue generated through lease rentals, processing fees, logistics services and export-linked earnings.
“The project will position Pakistan as a key maritime trade and seafood export hub serving Gulf, East African and Asian markets,” Chaudhry said.
