ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to improve transportation of goods at the Karachi port during his visit to the southern Pakistani city, Sharif’s office said on Sunday, amid Pakistan’s push to boost trade to support its fragile economy.
The prime minister issued the directives at a meeting he presided over with regard to the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority and Pakistan National Shipping Corporation in Karachi, where he is expected to meet the business community during the day-long visit.
Sharif said Pakistan held a key geographical position in the region and provided the most convenient sea trade route for the Central Asian states, citing his recent meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Central Asian leaders in Kazakhstan.
“Central Asian states have expressed deep interest in using Pakistan’s ports for trade,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by his office. “Through modern system at ports and improved access to them, Pakistan can earn billions of dollars in foreign exchange.”
He directed authorities to keep the Lyari Expressway open for cargo round the clock to ensure uninterrupted transportation of goods to and from the Karachi Port Trust.
The Malir Expressway should be connected with the seaport to ensure swift delivery of goods, he said, adding instructing officials to enhance railways’ capacity to shift goods to the Karachi port.
“He stressed the need to ensure early installation of state-of-the-art scanning machinery at the seaports and called for steps for the capacity building of Pakistani ports to take full advantage of their potential,” Sharif’s office said.
The prime minister instructed authorities to decrease customs clearance time by installing modern equipment and machinery at the Karachi Port Trust and Port Qasim.
Pakistan aims to enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting Central Asian republics with the rest of the world by leveraging its strategic geographical position.
The South Asian country has invested in infrastructure projects like roads, railways and pipelines while seeking greater economic connectivity under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative. In April this year, Pakistan opened its trade gateway to Central Asia with first potato shipment to Tajikistan.
During his day-long visit, Sharif is expected to meet business community in Karachi — Pakistan’s largest financial and industrial hub and home to over 20 million people.
The city has a vibrant business community and several industrial sites, but its deteriorating law and order situation and poor infrastructure have frustrated traders, who have regularly sought interventions from the government to resolve some of the metropolis’ teething issues.
“He is also expected to meet a delegation of businessmen from the export and import sectors,” Sharif’s office said, adding that the premier would be briefed on increasing the country’s national income, facilities for the business community and reforms in the export and import sectors.
“Important decisions will be taken in this regard,” it added.
PM Sharif calls for improving goods transportation at Karachi port amid Pakistan trade push
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PM Sharif calls for improving goods transportation at Karachi port amid Pakistan trade push
- The prime minister says Central Asian states have expressed deep interest in using Pakistan’s ports for trade
- Premier asks officials to keep Lyari Expressway open round the clock to ensure uninterrupted transportation
Death toll in Pakistan shopping plaza fire rises to 67, officials say
- Rescue teams still searching for damaged Gul Plaza in Karachi where blaze erupted on Saturday, says police surgeon
- Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi jumped to 67 on Thursday after police and a hospital official confirmed that the remains of dozens more people had been found.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said rescue teams were still searching the severely damaged Gul Plaza in the Karachi, where the blaze erupted on Saturday.
Most remains were discovered in fragments, making identification extremely difficult, but the deaths of 67 people have been confirmed, she said. Asad Raza, a senior police official in Karachi, also confirmed the death toll. Authorities previously had confirmed 34 deaths.
Family members of the missing have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital, even after providing their DNA for testing. Some have tried to enter the building forcibly, criticizing the rescue efforts as too slow.
“They are not conducting the search properly,” said Khair-un-Nisa, pointing toward the rescuers. She stood outside the building in tears, explaining that a relative who had left to go shopping has been missing since the blaze.
Another woman, Saadia Saeed, said her brother has been trapped inside the building since Saturday night, and she does not know what has happened to him.
“I am ready to go inside the plaza to look for him, but police are not allowing me,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from authorities about accusations they have been too slow.
Many relatives of the missing claim more lives could have been saved if the government had acted more swiftly. Authorities have deployed police around the plaza to prevent relatives from entering the unstable structure, while rescuers continue their careful search.
Investigators say the blaze erupted at a time when most shop owners were either closing for the day or had already left. Since then, the Sindh provincial government has said around 70 people were missing after the flames spread rapidly, fueled by goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and plastic items.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though police have indicated that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.
Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement, and illegal construction.
In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.
