Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed wide-ranging reforms across Pakistan’s ports aimed at reducing cargo delays, lowering logistics costs for businesses and supporting economic growth.
The directives were issued during a meeting of a private-sector working group tasked with recommending port-related reforms, as the government moves to address trade bottlenecks and enhance the country’s competitiveness.
“Our ports play an extremely important role in expanding business and driving economic growth in the country,” Sharif said, according to an official statement. He instructed port-linked agencies to strengthen coordination to reduce cargo dwell time and ordered a further reduction in port charges to ease the financial burden on the business community.
The prime minister also called for the introduction of a transparent system for auctioning abandoned cargo, including the establishment of dedicated yards at ports and the engagement of internationally reputed firms to manage the process. He further directed authorities to accelerate dredging and port expansion works to enable the berthing of larger vessels, and to improve rail connectivity from ports to facilitate smoother inland cargo movement.
During the meeting, officials briefed participants on progress under the National Ports Master Plan, noting that a port community system had recently become operational. They added that fees at several ports were being reduced, including a cut of over 50 per cent in bulk cargo charges at Port Qasim.
Officials also said an electronic bidding system for auctioning abandoned cargo would be launched shortly, while tenders for expansion and dredging at Karachi’s ports have already been issued.
The reforms are part of the government’s broader efforts to modernise port infrastructure, improve transparency and streamline logistics to support trade-led economic growth.