Islamabad, Copenhagen discuss $2 billion investment to modernize Pakistan’s maritime sector

Pakistani Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry (left) present souvenir to Danish Ambassador Jacob Linulf during their meeting on March 12, 2025. (PID)
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Updated 13 March 2025
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Islamabad, Copenhagen discuss $2 billion investment to modernize Pakistan’s maritime sector

  • Pakistan, Denmark signed MoU in October 2024, paving the way for Maersk to invest $2 billion in Pakistan’s maritime sector
  • Maritime affairs minister says Danish expertise can contribute to Pakistan’s economic growth, trade competitiveness

ISLAMABD: Pakistani and Danish officials this week discussed Denmark’s $2 billion investment to modernize the South Asian country’s maritime affairs infrastructure, Pakistan’s maritime affairs ministry said, as the two sides explored further avenues for bilateral collaboration.

Pakistan and Denmark last October signed a $2 billion memorandum of understanding (MoU) according to which Danish global shipping giant AP Moller–Maersk (Maersk) will invest the amount to modernize Pakistan’s maritime infrastructure and enhance its ports’ efficiency.

Pakistani Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Danish Ambassador Jacob Linulf met on Wednesday to review the progress of the $2 billion investment, the maritime affairs ministry said. 

“The minister emphasized the strategic importance of this partnership, highlighting how Danish expertise in maritime technology can contribute to Pakistan’s economic growth and global trade competitiveness,” the statement said. 

The ministry said that their discussion also covered potential future investments in green shipping, renewable energy solutions for ports and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen Pakistan’s maritime workforce. 

“Both dignitaries reaffirmed their commitment to fostering a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries,” the statement added. 

The meeting also focused on strengthening cultural ties and promoting tourism between Pakistan and Denmark, with both sides reaffirming their desire to enhance people-to-people exchanges. 

Linulf expressed Denmark’s interest in expanding its footprint in Pakistan’s maritime sector, the ministry said, reiterating his government’s commitment to supporting sustainable and innovative solutions. 

“The meeting concluded on a positive note, with both sides agreeing to accelerate the implementation of the MoU and explore further opportunities for collaboration in trade, investment, and cultural exchange,” the ministry said. 


Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity

Updated 15 January 2026
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Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity

  • The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip was announced on January 14
  • Muslim nations call for consolidation of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Thursday welcomed the formation of a temporary Palestinian technocratic body to administer Gaza, stressing that it must manage daily civilian affairs while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid the ongoing peace efforts.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates said the newly announced National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip would play a central role during the second phase of a broader peace plan aimed at ending the war and paving the way for Palestinian self-governance.

“The Ministers emphasize the importance of the National Committee commencing its duties in managing the day-to-day affairs of the people of Gaza, while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring the unity of Gaza, and rejecting any attempts to divide it,” the statement said.

The committee, announced on Jan. 14, is a temporary transitional body established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and is to operate in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, the ministers said.

The statement said the move forms part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, which the ministers said they supported, praising Trump’s efforts to end the war, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces and prevent the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

The top leaders of all eight Muslim countries attended a meeting with Trump in New York last September, shortly before he unveiled the Gaza peace plan.

The ministers also called for the consolidation of the ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza, early recovery and reconstruction and the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority to administer the territory, leading to a just and sustainable peace based on UN resolutions and a two-state solution on pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.