KARACHI, Dec 8: India and Pakistan on Thursday reached an understanding to amend the shipping protocol and allowed their seafarers to access each other’s ports, which has so far been not possible because of some restrictive clauses in the Pakistan–India Shipping Protocol-1975.
The first round of talks held at the Director General Ports and Shipping offices started on a positive note, with both sides expressing optimism about the outcome of negotiations carried out for the liberalization of shipping facilities between the two countries.
The joint secretary, department of shipping, Susheel Kumer, who is leading a six-member Indian delegation, accompanied by ports and shipping director general Capt Anwar Shah, informed the media about the progress in their negotiations.
Although both the sides in the first round of talks exchanged technical documents and proposals, they expected a positive outcome after the second and final round of talks to be held on December 10 at the same place.
Under the Shipping Protocol of 1975, national flag carriers of both the countries could not carry a third country’s cargo from each other’s ports and Pakistani seafarers could not join ships from Indian ports.
However, it seems that both the sides have committed themselves to improve the provisions of the protocol, thus making them conducive to the development of shipping trade and allowing lifting of third country’s cargo. It will also facilitate Pakistani seafarers to join ships at Indian ports.
Responding to a question, Capt Anwar said that an understanding had been reached to allow Pakistani seafarers to join ships from Indian ports. He says Pakistan has not put such restriction and Indian seafarers are even today free to join ships from Pakistani ports.
The DG ports said further that around 20,000 to 25,000 Pakistani seafarers would benefit from this relaxation in the clause of the shipping protocol because shipping companies could now ask them to join their ships from the neighbouring country.
He expressed the hope that the negotiations would see a logical conclusion, as at the first round of talks both the sides were extremely cooperative and realistic.
In today’s talks, Capt Anwar said, both the sides tried to remove impediments and irritants in the Pakistan-India Shipping Protocol-1975, particularly with regard to allowing flag carriers of both the countries to carry and load third country’s cargo.
In reply to another query, he said at present a very nominal quantity of goods worth only $200 million was being carried by flagships of both the countries, but once impediments were removed private sectors of the two countries would grow and move into the shipping industry in a big way.
At present, he said, the private sector was reluctant to enter shipping industry because of irritants in the protocol. “Once these (irritants) are removed, a large number of Pakistani flagships are expected to be registered.”
Other members of the Indian delegation include senior deputy (DG), department of shipping, Naresh Salecha, under-secretary, ministry of external affairs, Ms Pramita Tripathi, first-secretary, Embassy of India at Islamabad, Sibi George, representative of Indian Shipowners Association, Anil Devli, and deputy-secretary Danesh Kumer.
