KARACHI, April 30: The United States on Monday launched a facility in Pakistan aimed at boosting security and speeding up the flow of goods.

The international container facility has been launched at the Port Qasim in Karachi, where US-bound goods from Pakistan and Central Asia will be scanned before being shipped to the United States.

“This facility is both a preventive tool in the global war on terror that will make our borders safer and will also increase the economic efficiency of Pakistani exports,” US Charge d'Affaires Peter W. Bodde told a ceremony.

“The Port Qasim is one of only three locations in the world selected for this testing phase, reflecting the close cooperation between our two countries,” he added.

As a joint effort with the Pakistan government, the facility would test the feasibility of using scanning technology to inspect every container bound for the US, he said.

“It will also increase the security of the international supply chain for shippers utilising the Port Qasim,” he added.

Ports and Shipping Minister Babar Ghauri said the new system would boost trade and security between Pakistan and the United States and another system would be installed at the Karachi port.

Pakistan, a key US ally in the global fight against terrorism, has arrested more than 700 Al Qaeda fugitives who fled to the country after the fall of Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Pakistan provided the US forces with its airbases and intelligence to oust the Taliban regime after the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.—AFP