• National Institute of Oceanography cites national security concerns over sensitive maritime data
• Warns of exposure of naval routes, offshore installations
• Says obligations may exceed Pakistan’s current capability

ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has advised against ratifying a Unesco convention aimed at protecting underwater cultural heritage in Pakistan’s maritime zones, citing national security and institutional concerns.

In a letter to the Department of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM), the institute said that while the objectives of the Unesco 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage were acknowledged, “several strategic, institutional, economic and legal considerations suggest that Pakistan may prudently defer ratification at this stage.”

The letter, seen by Dawn, noted that Pakistan’s underwater zones include sensitive naval corridors, submarine cable routes and offshore installations.

“Ratification of the Convention could require reporting and international cooperation, potentially exposing sensitive geospatial and hydrographic data, which may have national security implications,” it warned.

The NIO maintained that Pakistan currently had limited institutional and technical capacity to implement the convention, including a lack of trained marine archaeologists, underwater survey infrastructure and conservation laboratories.

It cautioned that ratification under these conditions would create binding international obligations without realistic capacity for compliance, potentially exposing the country to criticism or external pressure.

Written in response to Unesco’s request, which maintained that Pakistan would be the first country in the region to ratify such a convention, the NIO further said, “Economic and developmental priorities, such as port development at Gwadar, offshore hydrocarbon exploration, fisheries management and other blue economy initiatives, could be impacted by the convention’s ‘in situ preservation’ principle, which may necessitate archaeological clearances or restrictions on seabed exploration.”

From a legal standpoint, the NIO said that Pakistan already exercises jurisdiction over its territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Strengthening domestic legislation and policies would allow effective protection of underwater heritage without ratifying additional multilateral obligations, it insisted.

The institute said that ratification could also lead to increased foreign involvement in archaeological projects, limiting national control over discoveries and their interpretation. “At present, Pakistan’s underwater heritage is largely unmapped and underexplored, and the immediate national benefit of ratification is minimal,” it added.

“It is respectfully submitted that Pakistan may defer ratification of the Unesco 2001 Convention. It is recommended that priority be given to strengthening domestic legal and regulatory frameworks for underwater cultural heritage, building technical and hum­an resource capacity in marine archaeology, conducting national surveys and research under Pakistani supervision and reconsidering ratification once adequate institutional readiness is achieved,” the NIO said.

According to an official in the National Heritage and Culture Division, signing such an agreement “raises security concerns with the government. No other country in South Asia has ratified the convention”.

However, in August last year, the government announced that Pakistan was set to become the first South Asian nation to ratify the 2001 Unesco Convention on the Pro­te­c­tion of Underwater Cultural Heritage. It du­­b­­bed the move a significant step towards safe­guarding its submerged maritime legacy.

The announcement was made by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry during a meeting with Unesco representative Dr Cristina Menegazzi. The two sides had discussed collaborative efforts to document, preserve and promote Pakistan’s rich underwater archaeological resources.

In recent years, underwater cultural heritage has attracted increasing attention from both the scientific community and the general public. For scientists, it represented an invaluable source of information on ancient civilisations, maritime practices, human use of land and marine environments, and climate change, according to Unesco.

Maritime archaeology, a specialised discipline that explores the relationship between humans and bodies of water through historical artefacts, is gaining prominence in coastal nations with rich maritime histories, according to a previously issued statement by the Press Information Department (PID).

In Pakistan’s case, this included shipwrecks, submerged landscapes, ancient maritime infrastructure such as piers and lighthouses, and historic trade routes along the Arabian Sea.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026