World Ocean Day which is celebrated on Monday (today) since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is of immense importance for Pakistan this year because it has now extended its jurisdiction to 350 nautical miles from the coast.
The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has unanimously approved Pakistan's claim for the extension of outer limits of its continental shelf adding 50,000 sq km to its EEZ which extends from 200 nautical from its coastline. "This extension means added responsibility for Pakistan to judiciously exploit the natural resources found in coastal and offshore waters pointed out by Rab Nawaz, Regional Director, WWF-Pakistan. He further said that Pakistan is among 175 out of 206 sovereign states which are blessed with an access to ocean. Pakistan which has a coastline of 1,050 km extending between Sir Creek on east and Gwadar Bay in the west is known for its rich natural resources.-PR
Comments
Comments are closed.