ISLAMABAD: Ambassador to the United States Rizwan Saeed Sheikh said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted his country’s growing importance as a transit and logistics hub in the region, according to a state media report on Tuesday, reports ‘Arab News’.
The remarks came as regional shipping routes face disruption following the Iran war, prompting cargo vessels to reroute and raising the strategic value of alternative corridors across South Asia.
“Pakistan can provide a crucial economic corridor between China, Central Asia and the Gulf states,” Sheikh said in a keynote address at a conference in Washington, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan. “Pakistan’s focus is shifting from geopolitics to geo-economics.”
Speaking at the 4th Annual Pakistan-US Conference at Georgetown University, the ambassador said Pakistan’s geographic position remained central to regional trade and security dynamics, linking South Asia with the Middle East and beyond.
Islamabad has reported a sharp rise in port activity since the Iran war began and shipping routes were disrupted, with vessels, mostly carrying containerised cargo, being diverted from major Gulf transshipment hubs such as Jebel Ali, Fujairah, Khor Fakkan and Salalah.
Sheikh said Pakistan’s role should also be viewed in the context of its diplomatic outreach during the conflict, noting that both the US and Iran had expressed confidence in Islamabad’s facilitation efforts.
He added that despite security challenges along its eastern and western borders, Pakistan had maintained a consistent role in regional peace and security and would continue to contribute to economic and geopolitical stability.
