KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that maritime sector is both financially and techno intensive and needed significant capital for building, operating and making it economically profitable.

 Speaking at 3rd steering committee meeting of Pakistan International Maritime Exhibition and Conference (PIMEC) 2023 here he said, “Once that investment has been made and setup is in place, it also requires highly skilled manpower, which regretfully we just do not have in sufficient numbers at this point in time.”  He said it would not be out of context to say that Pakistan is suffering from “Sea blindness” and that’s why motto of PIMEC has been very aptly kept as ‘Sea Future’.

 Murad said that PIMEC should provide foundation to bring together stakeholders from diverse maritime industries such as aquaculture was just like farming in water and it was an environmentally responsible source of food and commercial products.  He said that Pakistani fishing boats lacked modern equipment and techniques for fishing and storage. “PIMEC can be platform for boat construction and associated industries to modernise fishing boats,” he said. CM said that coastal tourism was almost neglected field and was required to be tapped because tourists were attracted by climate, biodiversity as well as long sandy beaches of South Asia.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 20 2023

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