Reforms lift Port Qasim among world’s top five ports: Task Force
Members say significant progress is made in Pakistan's maritime reform agenda: Ports gain capacity for handling 50,000 additional containers following reform measures: Faceless customs system introduced to improve transparency: Customs clearance time reduced to just 18 hours
The Prime Minister's Task Force on Maritime Reforms has completed 84 out of 99 reform action points, marking significant progress in Pakistan’s efforts to modernize its ports, shipbuilding and fisheries sectors, resulting in Port Qasim is being rated as one of the world’s top five ports, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Pakistan's ports have gained additional capacity for 50,000 containers, and a faceless customs duty system has been introduced as part of reforms led by the Prime Minister's Maritime Task Force.
This was stated by Co-Chairman of Maritime Task Force Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, Secretary Maritime Affairs Nadeem Mahbub and Member of the FBR, while addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday.
Iftikhar Ahmad said Pakistan's ports have registered a notable improvement in global rankings. He said Karachi Port has climbed 30 places, moving from 99th to 69th, while Port Qasim has improved its ranking by 18 places.
As regards progress in shipbuilding, he said sales tax has been removed on the ship building material in this budget, expressing the confidence that this will give impetus to shipbuilding sector. He also highlighted improvements in ship breaking and fisheries sectors.
Iftikhar Ahmed Rao, said Pakistan occupies a strategically important location on the Arabian Sea and serves as a key gateway to Central Asia.
He noted that around 80 percent of global trade is conducted by sea and claimed that Port Qasim is now ranked among the world's five leading ports.
He also said Pakistan has become a signatory to the Hong Kong Convention.
The member FBR said the faceless assessment system installed at the ports has led to increase in revenue growth. He said a state-of-the-art system has also been implemented for cargo handling from ports to upcountry.
He said the new faceless customs system has been made operational at the ports to improve efficiency and transparency.
He added that specialised training programmes are being conducted for customs staff and that the task force has been provided with the resources required to implement the reforms.
He said further measures had been introduced to enable the refuelling of large commercial vessels, allowing bigger ships to call at Pakistani ports.
The FBR official added that issues related to the collection of customs duties and taxes had also been resolved.
According to the officials, customs clearance times have been reduced significantly, falling from previous levels to just 18 hours, while the expansion of port facilities has created capacity for an additional 50,000 containers.
In his remarks, Secretary Maritime Affairs Nadeem Mahbub said that our vision is to make Pakistan a regional transhipment hub. He said cargo handling at Karachi Port increased to 55.8 million tonnes and that of Port Qasim to 47 million tonnes in the last one year.
The secretary mentioned that Pakistan Shipping Policy 2026 has been prepared after detailed consultations and it will be presented before the cabinet this month for approval. He said a transhipment policy has also been prepared to facilitate the local and international clients.
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) July 9, 2026
Reporter: Waqas Azeem