Pakistan mulls over opening sea routes for Gulf region passengers

• The government would facilitate private investors and the service would not only be limited to PNSC ships.
• Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi is optimistic to get good news in few days.

Pakistan is considering to open up sea route passenger ship services for four sea routes including Jeddah, Basra, Oman and Dubai, said Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi.

Speaking to local media, the federal minister said that he has sought the permission from the Ministry of Defence to provide the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for four routes - Jeddah to cater the Hajj and Umrah pilgrims especially in the Hajj season, Basra to cater the Zaireens, Oman and Dubai.

“I have asked for these four routes in the first stage, and they would follow the same process similar to what we see at airports. At airports we go through ASF and customs whereas, here we would have PSF (Port Security Force), we would follow all the modalities,” he said.

Zaidi said that they would also facilitate private investors, and the service would not only be limited to PNSC ships. “We are opening this sector, the more private investors would come in it, the more jobs it would generate, it would also boost the transportation of our goods as well,” he said.

The minister expressed optimism saying that we may get good news in few days.