KARACHI: Officials from Pakistan and Kazakhstan discussed joint venture opportunities to enhance bilateral trade through the Karachi and Gwadar seaports, Pakistan’s maritime affairs ministry said on Tuesday amid Islamabad’s push to enhance its role as a regional transit hub.
Pakistan has recently sought to leverage its strategic location to connect landlocked Central Asian states to Asia. Islamabad is pursuing a “Vision Central Asia” policy based on improving bilateral cooperation in politics, trade, investment, energy and connectivity, security and people-to-people contact with Central Asian Republics.
Pakistan’s Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry met Kazakh Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin in Islamabad, with the two sides expressing interest in promoting bilateral cooperation, the Pakistani ministry said.
“Minister Chaudhry suggested initiating joint ventures at the Karachi and Gwadar ports, highlighting potential partnerships within Gwadar’s free zones,” the maritime affairs ministry said in a statement. “These efforts are intended to utilize Pakistan’s strategic port infrastructure to enhance trade access for Kazakhstan, a landlocked nation seeking wider maritime connectivity.”
Kistafin said Kazakhstan wanted to use Pakistan’s seaports as transit hubs for the Central Asian region, the statement said. The Kazakh official said a ministerial-level delegation led by his country’s communication minister, is scheduled to visit Pakistan “soon.”
The delegation would conduct in-depth discussions with Chaudhry to explore further cooperation in maritime trade and logistics, the Pakistani ministry said.
Chaudhry highlighted the role of Pakistani ports as “gateways” providing direct access to Central Asian countries to the Arabian Gulf, African and Southeast Asian markets.
He said these efforts would boost trade connectivity across the continent, underscoring Pakistan’s commitment to deepening economic ties through maritime channels.
Karachi and Gwadar are Pakistan’s most vital seaports, which Islamabad hopes can serve as gateways for international trade and regional connectivity.
The southern Karachi city handles the majority of Pakistan’s imports and exports while Gwadar, located near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, offers traders direct access to the Arabian Sea. It is central to regional trade routes, including the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Pakistan seeks to enhance the performance of the two crucial ports in its bid to boost its fragile $350 billion economy.
