LAHORE, Sep 20 (APP):SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry former President,Iftikhar Ali Malik on Sunday said Pakistan’s geographical location offered a strong opportunity to develop its maritime sector and strengthen its role in regional and global trade. In a statement,he said the country’s Arabian Sea coastline and three major ports,Karachi Port,Port Qasim and Gwadar, could play an important role in strengthening the national economy and connecting Central Asia with global …
Pakistan’s geography offers major potential for maritime growth:Iftikhar Malik
LAHORE, Sep 20 (APP):SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry former President,Iftikhar Ali Malik on Sunday said Pakistan’s geographical location offered a strong opportunity to develop its maritime sector and strengthen its role in regional and global trade.
In a statement,he said the country’s Arabian Sea coastline and three major ports,Karachi Port,Port Qasim and Gwadar, could play an important role in strengthening the national economy and connecting Central Asia with global markets.
He said artificial intelligence and digital technology could improve port operations through better vessel planning, cargo management,predictive maintenance, traffic control and supply chain coordination.
Iftikhar Malik said Pakistan could also develop commercial ship repair facilities to attract vessels for service while upgrading Gadani to international standards could further strengthen the ship-recycling sector.
Maritime tourism could also create new economic opportunities along the coastline,he added.
He said maritime trade was vital to the economy as energy supplies,imports, exports, industrial production and regional connectivity depended on an efficient maritime and logistics system.
He stressed the need to strengthen maritime resilience by improving infrastructure,connectivity,technology,governance, investment and human resources.
He also proposed the concept of “Three Ports, One System”, saying Karachi Port, Port Qasim and Gwadar had different strengths and should complement rather than compete with one another.
