KARACHI - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that the government was taking steps for the development of seaports for provision of shortest corridor to the regional countries, especially to the Central Asian States.
He said that with a spur in sea trade by the Central Asian States, China and other countries of the region would have inter-connectivity via Pakistani ports that would enable the country to earn worth billions of dollars as foreign revenue every year.
The prime minister expressed these views during a visit to Hutchison Port, South Asian Pakistan Terminal at Karachi port where he was given a briefing, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. On the occasion, he directed the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to prioritize installation of latest scanners on ports.
The prime minister said that the customs authorities in collaboration with the ports authorities should take immediate steps for complete utilization of the seaports in Pakistan.
The prime minister was briefed that the process for installation of latest scanners on ports by the FBR was in the final stages which would enable rapid scanning of containers in the short time with assistance of latest gadgets and artificial intelligence.
The prime minister said that for the progress of the country, it was imperative that its ports were also developed. He said that for increasing country’s exports, the government was taking measures on priority basis.
Federal ministers Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Jam Kamal Khan, Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh, Ahad Khan Cheema, Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tesori, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chairman FBR and other concerned officials accompanied the prime minister.
The prime minister was apprised that Hutchison Port, South Asian Pakistan Terminal was amongst the few global terminals located in deep seas which was being automatically operated upon.
The terminal had been equipped with latest technology and scanners and its operations were of the international standards.
The prime minister was further informed that the port had the capacity to handle the shipment of 35,00,000 containers annually.
The prime minister appreciated the latest operations of the port.
Meanwhile, the prime minister, while chairing a meeting here regarding Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority and Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, directed the relevant authorities to take special initiatives to tap full potential of maritime trade and to spur the economic growth.
He directed to take steps to minimize the custom clearance time by installing the modern equipment and machinery at Port Qasim and Karachi Port Trust.
He also instructed to ensure the installation of state of the art scanning machinery at the ports besides taking steps on priority to fully benefit from the ports’ potential.
To ensure uninterrupted delivery of goods to and from Karachi Port Trust, the prime minister directed the relevant authorities to keep open the Lyari Expressway for cargo traffic for 24 hours a day.
The Malir Expressway should be connected to the port to further improve the delivery of goods, he added.
He further directed to increase the capacity of supply of goods to and from Karachi Port through railway.
“Fees for LNG ships at Port Qasim should be reduced and fixed according to prevailing rates at the international level,” the prime minister said adding that a comprehensive action plan for the regulation of shipping lines should be prepared and presented on priority.
He directed the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation to formulate and present a comprehensive plan to reduce its cost and make its operations effective.
The prime minister said that he held meetings with the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of the Central Asian countries during his recent visit to Kazakhstan.
Pakistan, he said offered the most suitable sea trade route for the Central Asian states.
Central Asian states have expressed deep interest in using Pakistan’s ports for trade, the prime minister said adding that Pakistan could earn foreign exchange reserves worth billions of dollars by introducing modern systems in the ports.
He stressed that the development of the existing ports in Karachi will increase exports from value addition industries.
He highlighted that development of private sector in the country, ease of doing business and facilitation of investors were the top priorities of the government.
By the grace of Allah, he said the economy of Pakistan was stable and moving towards growth and development.
He said the government was providing all possible facilities to the exporters to ensure the development of Pakistan’s export industry.
The prime minister also directed the Karachi Port Trust to submit a report comparing the performance of the port with other ports in the region.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Muhammad Aurangzeb, Jam Kamal Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema, Ataullah Tarar, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Chairman PNSC and the relevant high officials.