KARACHI, Nov 15: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistani ports could cater for the needs of India’s northern and northwestern states and also China’s Xinjiang province because of proximity.

After inaugurating the third expansion phase of Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) here on Saturday, the prime minister said that during pre-partition era, Karachi port used to handle a large part of cargo meant for present-day India’s western province, hoping that the same could be done now.

He said as Pakistani ports were nearer to India than other regional hubs, it would be “advantageous for Indian traders to use our ports”.

China’s Xinjiang province could also use Karachi and Qasim ports for trade because they are closer than ports on China’s eastern seaboard.

However, he stressed the need to make Pakistani ports competitive and efficient so that Indian and Chinese traders opted for them.

Mr Gilani said the late Zufikar Ali Bhutto had envisioned an infrastructure that could bring all communities closer and that benefited trade and industry.

The prime minister said it is heartening that a port which made a modest start in 1947 has now embarked on development on modern lines.

At the time of independence the port’s capacity was a meagre 1.2 million tons of dry cargo and one million tons of POL products per annum. On the other hand, the port is now handling over 12 million tons of liquid cargo and 25 million tons of dry cargo, including 1.213 million TEUs.

He said by making Karachi port state of the art, “we could make it a hub of the region”.

Praising ongoing development projects and future expansion plans, including a deep sea container terminal, the prime minister said other large public sector organisations should “emulate the KPT”.

Earlier KPT chairperson, Ms Nasreen Haque, gave details about major projects being undertaken by the port to meet future challenges. She said that the Deep Sea Terminal Port, having a draft of 18 metres, would be constructed at Keamari, which can handle “post-Panamax vessels”.

She said a project for developing a cargo village on the port’s western backwaters and another for deepening all existing berths to 16 metres would be undertaken soon.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and acting Governor Shehla Raza were also present on the occasion.