ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided in principle to provide a dedicated road and railway access to Karachi Port through new infrastructure projects to address severe congestion crisis hampering Pakistan’s international trade.

The decision was taken on Friday at an inter-ministerial meeting, presided over by Minis­ter for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and attended by representatives of the ministries of maritime affairs, communications, railways, aviation, commerce and planning besides the chief executive officer of Public-Private Partnership Authority (P3A).

Member of the Planning Commission (Infrastructure) Waqas Anwar briefed the meeting about issues related to the port infrastructure and facilities, and the measures required to improve port efficiency. He provided a progress update from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs regarding a committee constituted by the Prime Minister’s Office to address cross-cutting issues at Karachi Port.

Mr Anwar said Pakistan’s merchandise trade as a percentage of GDP stood at 26pc at present, significantly lower than the global average of 44pc. From 2015 to 2020, Pakistan’s ports handled over three million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of container traffic annually, with approximately two-thirds managed at Karachi’s three terminals and the remainder at the Port Qasim.

New committee tasked with providing consensus-based solution to challenges within two weeks

He pointed out that rail access to Karachi Port was underutilised, with nearly all cargo transported via road, leading to environmental challenges and congestion in Karachi. Existing rail facilities were insufficient for efficient goods transfer due to their limited capacity for loading and unloading operations, he said.

On top of that, he added, Karachi Port faced significant road congestion due to truck curfews (from 6am to 11pm daily), affecting traffic flow into and out of port areas. Port Qasim, on the other hand, benefits from better road connectivity (N-5 and M-9 via Eastern Bypass) but may face road access congestion by 2030 if rail connectivity was not improved, he warned.

To address these challenges, the committee constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif came up with certain solutions.

The Planning Commission member explained short- and long-term measures. Short-term measures include imple­menting 24/7 port operations while scheduling freight truck movements to reduce congestion. Freight trucks would use port gates only during pre-arranged schedules.

For long-term solutions, it was recommended to develop an elevated expressway as a priority project to ease road congestion.

Simultaneous investments in rail infrastructure were also proposed to enhance upcountry freight transport efficiency and reduce overall transportation costs. Both projects should progress concurrently to maximize long-term benefits.

Consensus-based solution

After detailed discussions, the meeting agreed to the urgency of resolving these challenges for national economic growth.

Another committee comprising representatives of the planning ministry, Port Qasim Authority, maritime affairs ministry, National Highway Authority (NHA) and railways ministry was constituted and tasked with reviewing the issues comprehensively and presenting a consensus-based solution within two weeks.

The planning minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening port efficiency, boosting trade, and ensuring sustainable economic development, an official statement said.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2024