ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs on Wednesday constituted a sub-committee to examine the Karachi Port Trust (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and review the proposal for the allotment of additional adjoining land, besides the 300 acres already recommended for the Karachi Port Trust’s proposed parking facility, to meet its future expansion requirements.
The sub-committee will be headed by Hassan Sabir and comprise Pullain Baloch and Romina Khurshid Alam, MNAs, as members.
The committee met at the Parliament House with Abdul Qadir Patel, MNA, in the chair. During detailed deliberations, the commissioner concerned informed the committee that pursuant to its earlier recommendations, a case for the allotment of 300 acres of land for the proposed parking facility had been forwarded to the Board of Revenue for consideration.
The minister for maritime affairs informed the committee that following an earlier site inspection and consultations between the ministry and commissioner’s office, the original proposal had envisaged the allotment of approximately 650 acres. The committee observed that the proposed allotment of 300 acres would be insufficient to meet both existing and future parking requirements. It, therefore, recommended that the adjoining land be earmarked and reserved for the future expansion of parking facility. It recommended that the case for the allotment of additional land be processed on a priority basis and finalised expeditiously. The committee recommended that directions be issued to the Revenue Department to take up the matter on a priority basis.
During a detailed briefing, the inspector general of traffic police, Sindh, informed the committee that all its previous directions had been implemented.
The committee further recommended that the Traffic Police consider deploying 25 traffic personnel around the Pakistan House and the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) premises to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and reduce congestion in the area. It was informed that the KPT was ready to provide all necessary logistical and administrative support for the proposed deployment.
The committee directed that the National Highway Authority (NHA) be invited to its next meeting to brief members on ongoing and proposed projects aimed at addressing traffic congestion in and around the Karachi Port area. The committee considered the Gwadar Port Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Port Qasim Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025. After detailed deliberations, it adopted minor amendments to both bills and recommended their passage by the National Assembly.
The committee also considered the Carriage Shipping Documents Bill, 2026 and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2026. Following detailed deliberations, it recommended that both bills, as introduced, be passed by the National Assembly.
