Government placed promotion of blue economy in its growth agenda: Ahsan Iqbal.  

KARACHI : Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, said that blue economy possesses enormous potential for sustainable financial stability and development of Pakistan and the incumbent government has placed it in its futuristic agenda of national growth. 

The federal minister speaking to media during visit of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) here said that more than one thousand kilometre long coastal line and over 2 million kilometre vast exclusive economic zone offers unfathomable opportunities to the country. 

Pakistan being an agricultural country had reliance on the green economy at the time while volume of its blue economy was greater than the green one, he observed and noted that integration of both the economies could boost the pace of journey of development to a greater extent. 

The federal minister said that PML-N led government has expedited important projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that was integrated with the global Belt and Road initiative and opens new vistas of growth and prosperity of the country. 

He said that under the sustainable development approach it was our responsibility to secure and efficiently monitor country’s coastal line and maritime frontiers. 

The minister while lauding the services of PMSA for protection of borders of Pakistan said that the agency was equipped with state of the art equipment and fleet and was vigilantly securing the maritime frontiers of Pakistan. Additionally, PMSA has also earned a god name for the country across the globe due to its rescue and relief operations in deep sea, he added. 

Ahsan Iqbal recalled that in 2014 operational capacity of PMSA was limited to a few old boats and it lacked effective monitoring system. Then PML-N government vowed to modernise the agency and approved projects for induction of 6 modern ships and boats in PMSA which had significantly improved the operational capacities of the agency, the minister said. 

He hoped that PMSA with its enhanced capacities would keep securing the maritime frontiers of the country and preventing dumping of hazardous materials and elimination of illegal trade within their jurisdiction. 

He further said that PMSS Kolachi was developed at Karachi shipyard and inducted into fleet of PMSA. The Karachi shipyard had capability to manufacture even bigger ships that would not only further enhance country’s maritime forces but Pakistan could also earn precious foreign exchange. 

Earlier, Director General PMSA Rear Admiral Imtiaz Ali,  DDG Commodore Amir Iqbal Khan, Captain Shahid Sati and other officers received the federal minister on his arrival at the PMSS Kolachi and briefed him about performance and future strategy of the agency.