ISLAMABAD: The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco, is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan today, Thursday, to attend the International Maritime Sustainability Exhibition and Conference, according to an official statement released on Wednesday.
The IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping and ensuring maritime safety, environmental protection and security on international waters. Established in 1948, its primary role is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping, which includes standards for safety, pollution prevention and legal matters surrounding global maritime operations.
Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement this will be the first-ever visit to Pakistan by an IMO Secretary-General.
“The Secretary General’s visit will afford an opportunity for Pakistan and IMO to exchange views on maritime sector and blue economy,” the statement said.
“As a founding member of IMO, Pakistan is deeply committed to IMO’s vision of safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans,” it added. “Pakistan has served for five terms on the IMO Council and has consistently contributed in upholding the IMO objectives.”
The foreign office informed that Velasco will be visiting the country from September 12 to 14 and will hold meetings with Pakistani leadership and senior government officials.
He is scheduled to attend the international exhibition and conference arranged by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, which will begin in Islamabad today before moving to Pakistan’s port city of Karachi for the next two days.
Pakistan is actively working to increase its global trade through sea-lanes and improve port facilities in Karachi and Gwadar.
It is also positioning itself as a key transit hub for landlocked Central Asian states, receiving encouraging responses from countries like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to use its ports for international trade.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain met with the European Union’s Special Envoy for the Promotion of Religion and Belief Frans van Daele in Islamabad on Wednesday, discussing the challenge of religious intolerance globally and agreeing to work together towards its eradication.

The EU has previously raised concerns over extremist violence perpetrated in the name of religion in Pakistan, specifically mentioning its blasphemy laws and forced conversions, which it says have marginalized religious minorities.

These concerns even prompted the European Parliament to consider reassessing Pakistan’s preferential trade status under the GSP+ scheme, which grants Pakistani exports duty-free access to the European market.

According to a statement circulated by the ministry after the meeting, they also discussed “terrorism, the eradication of sectarianism, the establishment of peace, and the promotion of interfaith harmony.”

“The participants [of the meeting] agreed to work together to reduce the trend of intolerance and achieve a peaceful common future,” it added.

Hussain told the EU official his ministry had formulated a policy on interfaith harmony and sent it to the federal cabinet for approval.

“Pakistan is committed to protecting the rights of minorities,” he said.

FRIDAY SERMONS

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Ulema Council urged religious scholars across the country to highlight the rights of women and minority rights in Islam during the Friday sermons.

“Like other sections of the society, women and minorities are entitled with due respect and honour in the teachings of Islam and all these rights play a pivotal role for the existence of an ideal society,” the council said in a statement.

The council said the teachings of Islam centered on human dignity and respect, urging prayer leaders across the country educate the public about this in the light the Qur’anic teachings.