PM Shehbaz to visit Karachi for one-day port operations review

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will arrive in Karachi on Sunday for a one-day visit, particularly to review port operations in the metropolis.

According to a statement published on PML-N’s official account on the X platform, the PM will be briefed about the operations of the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority, and the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation.

The premier is also expected to meet a delegation of businessmen from Karachi’s export and import sector.

The visit comes after PM Shehbaz invited Tajikistan to “avail the facilities of Pakistani seaports” for transit trade while on a two-day official visit to the Central Asian country this week.

“The prime minister informed the Tajik president about the operationalisation of Gwadar seaport and offered Tajikistan the opportunity to avail the facilities of Pakistani seaports,” a joint statement issued by the two countries said.

“It was highlighted that the Pakistani seaports offer the most efficient, shortest, and economic route for the Central Asian countries including Tajikistan to the markets in the Middle East and beyond”.

During his maiden visit to Karachi in April since assuming premiership earlier this year, the PM’s resolve was met with apprehensions from industry leaders who said it was “almost impossible” to do business under the current circumstances, particularly with high energy costs and inconsistent government policies.

Posing tough questions during an hour-long meeting at the CM House, Karachi’s business community appreciated the PM’s “determination”, but advised him to focus on bringing about political stability to “turn around” the economy.

He termed the meeting an attempt to listen to the “brilliant minds of business, absorb what they say, and put it into action” for a comprehensive economic growth roadmap.“