ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed officials to speed up the process of container clearance and ensure attractive trade tariffs at Pakistani ports, his office said on Monday, as the South Asian country undertakes maritime reforms to boost its economy.
Pakistan, which averted a default in 2023, is currently navigating an economic recovery path under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and has undertaken several reforms in various sectors.
A taskforce is working on sustainable reforms in the maritime sector to end the long-standing stagnation in Pakistan’s maritime economy, according to the prime minister.
“Pakistan has been bestowed with a long coastline, sea and other unlimited resources,” Sharif was quoted as saying at a meeting of the maritime taskforce he presided over in Islamabad.
“A plan should be made to minimize the duration of the presence of containers at the ports,” he said, asking authorities to auction containers available at the ports as soon as possible to better utilize the port space.
During the meeting, officials informed the prime minister that a National Dredging Plan (NDP) has been formulated keeping in mind the country’s needs for the next ten years. It will help set up a National Dredging Company for dredging of all the ports, according to Sharif’s office.
A plan of action has also been prepared for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) through public-private partnership for the next 25 years. Similarly, a plant is being established in Gadani, Balochistan to dispose of chemical waste and other hazardous materials, while the Pakistan Maritime Port Act is in the final stages, which will implement uniform rules and regulations at all ports.
On the occasion, Sharif said the development of economy is linked to marine resources and access to them.
“The pace of installing the latest scanners at all ports should be accelerated,” he said. “Trade tariffs should be reviewed to bring the country’s ports to a competitive standard.”
PM directs speedy container clearance, attractive tariffs at Pakistan ports as part of maritime reforms
https://arab.news/pq596
PM directs speedy container clearance, attractive tariffs at Pakistan ports as part of maritime reforms
- Pakistan has formed a maritime taskforce to streamline its blue economy by optimizing operations at various ports
- Shehbaz Sharif asks officials to accelerate pace of installation of scanners to reduce time for container clearance
India and Pakistan set for World Cup blockbuster as boycott averted
- With bilateral cricket a casualty of their relations, emotions run high whenever the neighbors meet in multi-team events
- For Pakistan, opener Sahibzada Farhan has looked in fine form but Babar Azam’s strike rate continues to polarize opinion
India and Pakistan will clash in the Twenty20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday, still feeling the aftershocks of a tumultuous fortnight in which Pakistan’s boycott threat — later reversed — nearly blew a hole in the tournament’s marquee fixture.
With bilateral cricket a casualty of their fraught relations, emotions run high whenever the bitter neighbors lock horns in multi-team events at neutral venues.
India’s strained relations with another neighbor, Bangladesh, have further tangled the geopolitics around the World Cup.
When Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 20-team field for refusing to tour India over safety concerns, the regional chessboard shifted.
Pakistan decided to boycott the Group A contest against India in solidarity with Bangladesh, jeopardizing a lucrative fixture that sits at the intersection of sport, commerce, and geopolitics.
Faced with the prospect of losing millions of dollars in evaporating advertising revenue, the broadcasters panicked. The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) held hectic behind-the-scenes parleys and eventually brokered a compromise to salvage the tournament’s most sought-after contest.
Strictly on cricketing merit, however, the rivalry has been one-sided.
Defending champions India have a 7-1 record against Pakistan in the tournament’s history and they underlined that dominance at last year’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
India beat Pakistan three times in that single event, including a stormy final marred by provocative gestures and snubbed handshakes.
Former India captain Rohit Sharma does not believe in the “favorites” tag, especially when the arch-rivals clash.
“It’s such a funny game,” Rohit, who led India to the title in the T20 World Cup two years ago, recently said.
“You can’t just go and think that it’s a two-point victory for us. You just have to play good cricket on that particular day to achieve those points.”
INDIA’S EDGE
Both teams have opened their World Cup campaigns with back-to-back wins, yet India still appear to hold a clear edge.
Opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy currently top the batting and bowling rankings respectively.
Abhishek is doubtful for the Pakistan match though as he continues to recover from a stomach infection that kept him out of their first two matches.
Ishan Kishan has reinvented himself as a top-order linchpin, skipper Suryakumar Yadav has regained form, while Rinku Singh has settled into the finisher’s role in India’s explosive lineup.
Mystery spinner Chakravarthy and the ever-crafty Jasprit Bumrah anchor the spin and pace units, while Hardik Pandya’s all-round spark is pivotal.
For Pakistan, opener Sahibzada Farhan has looked in fine form but Babar Azam’s strike rate continues to polarize opinion.
Captain Salman Agha will bank on spin-bowling all-rounder Saim Ayub, but the potential trump card is off-spinner Usman Tariq, whose slinging, side-arm action has intrigued opponents and fans alike.
