Ali Zaidi chairs first meeting on Maritime Transshipment Strategy

ISLAMABAD: KARACHI: Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi has chaired the first meeting on Maritime Transshipment Strategy with maritime partners and stakeholders at the KPT Head office.

The meeting was attended by Secretary Maritime Ministry, Mahmood Moulvi Advisor to Maritime, Chairman KPT, representatives of Terminal Operators, Pakistan Ship Agents Association, and Pakistan International Freight Forwarders Association.

Last month, Ali Haider Zaidi had said the Ministry was taking practical steps to resolve the issues of the Marine Fishing Department (MFD) employees. He paid a surprise visit to the MFD.

He said all the demands raised by the MFD employees would be taken seriously and the government would try to solve them one by one. Zaidi inquired about the progress of modernization and digitization of the department.

He urged that the process of digitization would be completed on a war footing. The minister said Pakistan has a total coastline of 1,050 km and a total fishing area of approximately 300,270 sq km.

Pakistan’s fishing grounds are termed as highly rich in marine life with a vast variety of species having a commercial value, he added. “Karachi has been neglected since independence, resource allocation was minimum with available resources plundered rampantly in collusion with property mafia and land grabbers,” he lamented.