Ans: Pakistan Ports:
Pakistan has 6 seaports on its southern coastline, 2 seaports in Sindh and 4
seaports in Balochistan.
(a) Seaports in Sindh:
Sindh seaports are; Karachi and Muhammad bin Qasim.
i. Karachi Seaport:
The oldest and the most important seaport of the country is Karachi. Sixty
percent of Pakistan’s foreign trade is carried out through this port., An
amount of rupees 5 billion was spent on the expansion of this seaport.
ii. Port Muhammad bin Qasim:
Port Muhammad bin Qasim located at a distance of 35 km from Karachi was
commissioned in September 1980. This seaport was setup basically for the
supply of fuel for Karachi Steel Mills. This is the second largest seaport of
the country and through this port 35% imports and exports of the country are
carried out.
iii. Seaports in Balochistan:
Balochistan’s largest sea port is Gwadar, three lesser ports are Pasni,
Ormara and Jiwani.
i. Gwadar Seaport:
Gwadar was a small village on the coast of Balochistan. The idea of
establishing a seaport on this location first came up in 1964, the work on the
construction of the port, however, started in 2001. This is the third deep
water port in Pakistan which is located in Persian Gulf. It has great
commercial importance. First phase of the port is to be completed at an
estimated cost of Rs. 16.4 billion, second phase estimate is Rs. 51.9 billion
The port was inaugurated in 2007; work on the port is still in progress.
Spread over an area of 45000 acres, this grand project includes airport,
industrial zone, and export processing zone, recreation facilities and superb
residential localities. After completion, this port will play vital role in the
progress of the country.
ii. Pasni:
Pasni is located at a distance of 300 km to the south of Karachi. Fishing is
the main occupation of the local population. Pasni is basically a fishing
harbour.
iii. Ormara:
Ormara is located at the distance of 450 km to the south of Karachi. This
port is famous for Jinnah Naval Base. Makran Coastal Highway has
improved the link of this area with the rest of the country, civil and
commercial facilities have improved.
iv. Jiwani:
Jiwani port is located on the south-western coast of Pakistan nearer to
Iranian border. This is basically a fishing port. A small naval base and an
airport is also operative.