ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed officials to establish a world-class cargo scanning system in the commercial hub of Karachi and other major trade centers in Pakistan to improve the country’s prospects as a regional trade and transit hub, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.
Sharif issued the directives at a meeting to review transit cargo and tracking system in the federal capital of Islamabad, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a regional trade and transit hub by leveraging its strategic geopolitical position.
Sharif instructed officials to ensure the implementation of modern technology and abolish the obsolete system of tracking, tracing and scanning cargo.
“Pakistan will become a hub of transit trade for other regional countries due to its integrated communication system and better tracking of cargo,” he was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan.
Pakistan, faced with a prolonged economic meltdown, has witnessed a flurry of visits, investment talks and economic activity involving officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China and Central Asian nations in recent months.
This week, Emirati multinational logistics company DP World, in collaboration with Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation (NLC), launched a feeder service to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi, Pakistani state media reported.
The weekly service promises faster and more reliable container delivery, directly benefiting the business community and boosting economic activity in the region.
Sharif said there had been a significant decrease in smuggling due to Pakistan’s efforts to improve cargo tracking system.
“Due to curtailing smuggling, sugar worth 211 million dollars was exported to Afghanistan this [fiscal] year,” he was quoted as saying.
The prime minister also directed officials to ensure third-party validation of cargo tracking service providers.
PM calls for robust cargo scanning system to improve Pakistan’s prospects as regional trade hub
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PM calls for robust cargo scanning system to improve Pakistan’s prospects as regional trade hub
- The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a regional trade and transit hub by leveraging its strategic geopolitical position
- This week, UAE’s DP World and Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation launched a feeder service to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi
Pakistan to launch 5G pilot in some cities next week — IT minister
- Government says 5G services to reach provincial and federal capitals within six to eight months
- Rollout follows $507 million spectrum auction aimed at expanding mobile broadband capacity
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will begin pilot launches of fifth-generation (5G) mobile services in some cities next week, Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Thursday, marking the country’s first concrete timeline for introducing the next generation of high-speed mobile Internet.
The announcement follows a spectrum auction earlier this week in which Pakistan sold 480 megahertz (MHz) of telecom frequencies for about $507 million, a key step toward deploying 5G networks in a country of more than 240 million people where most mobile infrastructure still runs on fourth-generation (4G) technology.
Pakistan has more than 190 million mobile phone users, making it one of the world’s largest telecom markets by population, but the rollout of 5G has been delayed for years by regulatory hurdles, economic constraints and spectrum-allocation issues.
“I was very happy to hear the day before yesterday that some of our operators are ready for 5G services,” Khawaja told a news conference with telecom operators in Islamabad.
“So, its pilot will start in some cities next week. And in the next six to eight months, in five of our capitals of all provinces and in the federal capital, 5G services will be available to all of you people.”
Khawaja described Internet connectivity as increasingly critical for economic activity, industry and national security, saying reliable and resilient digital infrastructure would play a central role in Pakistan’s future growth.
Officials have said the government is also encouraging wider adoption of 5G-compatible devices to support the transition to faster mobile networks, noting that a large share of phones used in Pakistan are locally manufactured while premium models are imported.
