ISLAMABAD: Pakistan dispatched its first convoy of commercial goods from its southern port city of Karachi to Central Asia through the partnership between the state-owned National Logistics Corporation (NLC) and UAE-based DP World firm, state media reported on Wednesday.
The development takes place days after Pakistan and DP World finalized terms for a freight corridor project from Karachi Port to the Pipri Marshalling yard in southern Pakistan.
The Karachi Freight Corridor is an infrastructure project in Pakistan aimed at improving the movement of freight from Karachi, the country’s largest city, to various parts of the country. The project involves the construction of a dedicated double-track corridor and other related facilities that will run 50 km from Karachi port to the Pipri marshalling yard.
“The first convoy carrying commercial goods has been dispatched from Karachi to Central Asia through the partnership between NLC and DP World,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It added that senior officials from DP World and NLC, as well as prominent business figures attended the launch event.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World’s group chairman and CEO, said the strategic position of NLC in the region and DP World’s global presence will provide vast business opportunities and strengthen economic activities.
“The Director-General of NLC said this initiative will have far-reaching effects on regional trade and will be immensely beneficial for the business community of the region,” state media reported.
Pakistan has reached out to regional allies, especially Gulf countries, to bolster trade and foreign investment in recent months. Pakistan and the UAE last year signed two inter-governmental framework agreements to establish a dedicated rail freight corridor and economic zone near Karachi.
The agreements cover plans for over $3 billion investments in railways, economic zones and infrastructure. DP World will act on behalf of Dubai, while the Pakistan Railways and Port Qasim Authority will act on behalf of Pakistan.
Pakistan dispatches goods convoy to Central Asia through partnership with Dubai’s DP World
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Pakistan dispatches goods convoy to Central Asia through partnership with Dubai’s DP World
- Pakistan and DP World this week finalized terms for freight corridor project from Karachi to country’s southwest
- DP World CEO says partnership to provide vast business opportunities and strengthen regional economic activities
US company eyes hydropower projects as Pakistan plans private-led power generation
- The power minister tells GE Vernova it can serve as a strong technical and investment partner
- He highlights reforms in the country’s power sector as Pakistan moves to a market-based model
ISLAMABAD: United States-based energy company GE Vernova on Monday expressed interest in expanding investment in Pakistan’s hydropower sector, an official statement said after a meeting between the company’s hydro division chief and the country’s power minister.
GE Vernova is GE’s dedicated energy company that focuses on power generation, grid technologies and renewable energy, including hydropower, wind and solar technologies, battery and energy storage systems, grid modernization and transmission solutions.
The meeting between the company’s hydropower chief, Frederic Ribieras, and the Pakistani minister, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, came as the country shifts toward a market-driven power sector in which private developers will lead future generation projects.
“Mr. Ribieras expressed interest in hydropower technologies,” the power ministry said in its statement. “The Minister supported this interest and said a list of potential investment projects can be shared with GE Vernova.”
Leghari told the GE Vernova official that the government wanted the private sector to take the lead in the sector and would not procure power in future.
He maintained the US company “can serve as a strong technical and investment partner.”
The minister said Pakistan was pursuing a least-cost energy strategy and had recently reached nearly 56 percent clean energy generation.
He highlighted transmission constraints and urged global investors to explore business-to-business opportunities, adding that the country needs battery-energy storage systems to support wind-power integration.
According to the statement, Ribieras proposed pumped-storage hydropower as an option, with the minister saying the government was open to reviewing all least-cost solutions.
He also highlighted the ongoing reforms, including the planned privatization of electricity distribution companies, and said GE Vernova’s expertise could support initiatives such as advanced metering infrastructure.
