ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday invited Kazakh investors to explore joint ventures at Karachi and Gwadar ports, including opportunities in Gwadar’s free zones, as Islamabad seeks to position itself as a maritime gateway for landlocked Central Asian economies to global markets.
The Pakistan government wants to expand regional trade connectivity through its Arabian Sea ports, particularly Gwadar, which Islamabad has promoted as a strategic transshipment hub linking Central Asia, the Gulf, Africa and South Asia. Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy, has increasingly sought alternative trade corridors to diversify access to international markets beyond traditional northern routes.
Pakistan has also intensified efforts in recent years to attract foreign investment into its maritime and logistics sectors as part of a broader push to develop the country’s “blue economy,” expand port infrastructure and capitalize on its geographic position near key global shipping lanes.
“Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Wednesday invited Kazakh investors to explore joint ventures at Pakistani ports including opportunities in Gwadar’s free zones to enhance Kazakhstan’s access to regional and international trade markets,” Pakistan’s information ministry said in a statement after the minister met an 11-member Kazakh delegation led by Timur Turlov, chief executive officer of Freedom Holding Corp.
The minister also invited the company to participate in Pakistan’s blue economy initiatives, stressing the role of Pakistani ports as gateways for Kazakhstan and other landlocked Central Asian states to markets in the Gulf, Africa and Southeast Asia.
“Both sides discussed cooperation prospects in transshipment operations, off-dock and multipurpose terminals, and dry-dock and floating-dock facilities at Pakistani ports,” the statement added.
The discussions also covered potential cooperation on road, rail and air connectivity between Pakistan and Central Asian countries, particularly Kazakhstan, aimed at strengthening regional trade integration.
“The Kazakh delegation expressed strong interest in investing in the maritime sector, reflecting growing international confidence in the government’s economic and maritime policies,” the statement said.
Turlov “expressed confidence in Pakistan’s developing maritime sector and reiterated his company’s interest in exploring long-term strategic investments aligned with Pakistan’s economic development priorities,” it added.
Pakistan’s maritime sector handles the vast majority of the country’s imports and exports through Karachi Port, Port Qasim and Gwadar Port. Gwadar, developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has been central to Islamabad’s ambitions of becoming a regional trade and logistics hub connecting Central Asia, western China and the Middle East.
In February, Pakistan and Kazakhstan agreed to establish a strategic partnership and signed 37 memorandums of understanding during Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Islamabad, with both sides setting a target of raising bilateral trade to $1 billion within a year.
