PM Sharif welcomes Abu Dhabi’s investment interest in Pakistan’s ports and shipping industry

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the decision of a United Arab Emirates-based maritime and logistics company to invest in infrastructure development at Karachi Port and Pakistan’s shipping industry while meeting its top management in Islamabad on Friday.
The Abu Dhabi Ports Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the Karachi Port Trust on Thursday to help turn Pakistan into a “premier hub” for transshipment and imported and exported cargo.
The prime minister met Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, the group’s chairman and member of the UAE royal family, along with his other cabinet members.
“Referring to the fraternal ties between Pakistan and UAE, the Prime Minister said Pakistan attaches great importance to further expanding brotherly ties with UAE in diverse fields, particularly in trade and investment,” said a statement issued by the PM Office after the meeting. “The Prime Minister welcomed the keen interest of Abu Dhabi Ports to invest in the ports and shipping industry of Pakistan.”
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States. It is also an ideal export destination for the South Asian nation as the short distance between the two countries limits transportation costs and facilitates commercial exchanges.
The chairman of Abu Dhabi Ports Group said he would be visiting Pakistan again within two months “to give further momentum to UAE’s investment” in the country.
The UAE envoy to Pakistan, Hammad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, was also present during the meeting.