ISLAMABAD: Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Ports Pakistan Khurram Aziz Khan on Friday called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and informed that the company would invest $250 million in Karachi Port during the next 10 years.
The company CEO, who was accompanied by a delegation, also said that a fully equipped multipurpose terminal, being constructed through a $130 million investment, would be completed within two years.
The delegation members briefed the prime minister about the company’s investment in the improvement of the container terminal facility at Karachi Port featuring X control, automated gates, 200-meter expansion in berth, crane rail track and development of infrastructure.
It was told that after the development of new infrastructure, cargo ships of up to 120,000 tons capacity would be able to anchor at the port to boost economic activity.
Prime Minister Shehbaz called for using modern technology and machinery to improve cargo and container handling at the port besides reducing the clearance time to a minimum.
He said that the objective of the agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports was to ensure transparency, enhance capacity and improve port operations. He also assured that the government would extend maximum support in executing the agreement to achieve maximum benefits.
The prime minister directed the railway authorities to provide freight bogies and other necessary rolling stock to operationalise the project, and improve the transportation of cargo from the terminal.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the dastardly terrorist attack on Imam Bargah Ali bin Abu Talib in Wadi Kabir district of Muscat that took place on July 16 and offered Pakistan’s support to Oman in elimination of terrorism in all of its forms.
The prime minister, talking to Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman Fahad Sulaiman Khalaf Al Kharusi, who paid a courtesy call on him, appreciated Oman’s swift response and cooperation with the Pakistan mission in the repatriation of the dead bodies and treatment of the injured.
The attack on Imam Bargah had resulted in the death of six people, including four Pakistani nationals, and over thirty injured, nearly all of whom were Pakistanis.
The prime minister said Pakistan had itself been the victim of terrorism for the past several decades.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz conveyed his good wishes for Sultan Haitham bin Tariq while fondly recalling his telephone conversations with the Sultan on Eidul Adha as well as Eidul Fitr earlier in the year.
The prime minister reiterated his invitation to the Sultan of Oman to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience.
On the bilateral front, the prime minister stressed that Pakistan and Oman enjoyed close, brotherly ties with a shared history, faith, and culture.
He expressed Pakistan’s desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries, particularly in trade, investment, energy, and defense.
In this regard, Prime Minister Shehbaz thanked the ambassador for encouraging a trade and investment delegation to undertake a visit to Pakistan next week, while assuring him that the relevant Pakistani authorities would extend full cooperation to the delegation while seeking mutually beneficial outcomes.
The ambassador thanked the prime minister for receiving him and conveyed the greetings of the Sultan of Oman. He reaffirmed his country’s desire to further enhance its trade and investment relations with Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan’s Information Technology exports will rise with Huawei’s annual professional training to 300,000 Pakistani students.
Talking to a four-member delegation led by Ethan Sun, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Huawei Pakistan, the prime minister stressed that collaboration with Huawei was essential for providing advanced IT training in various fields, especially for young people.
The prime minister emphasised that the government values its sustainable partnership with Huawei in Pakistan’s digital economy. The government will prioritise including both women and the youth of Balochistan in this training program.
The prime minister stated that promoting the digital economy requires building a strong foundation of talented professionals within the country.
The prime minister stated that the recent visit to Huawei’s headquarters in China was highly beneficial.
The prime minister emphasized that digitizing government institutions was crucial for implementing a modern, automated, and efficient governance system.
The delegation briefed the prime minister regarding the progress of ongoing projects under the cooperation agreement between Pakistan and Huawei for the Digital Pakistan Programme.
The prime minister was informed that a new Massive Open Online Courses system for IT training has been developed and will be launched with the support of provincial governments.
The delegation suggested backing the development of a national data center in line with Pakistan’s national cloud strategy.
This initiative will improve cloud services and lead to considerable cost reductions. Huawei was interested in collaborating with the Pakistani government to transform Islamabad into a smart city. As part of the Islamabad Smart City project, various services such as traffic management, health care, education, and parking will be accessible through a digital platform.
Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Prime Minister’s Coordinator Rana Ihsaan Afzal, and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.
