Pakistan Pitches Its Ports as Central Asia’s Route to the Sea
Federal Minister for Investment Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh made the case at the opening session of the Second TIANSHAN Forum for Central Asia Economic and Quality Investment in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He said Pakistan could serve as a key route for Central Asian countries seeking access to international maritime trade.
The minister pointed to Pakistan’s three major seaports, Karachi Port, Port Qasim and Gwadar Port, as important gateways for regional trade and the movement of goods.
Karachi, he said, is the country’s main industrial and commercial center, and offers strong opportunities for trade, industrial cooperation and foreign investment. He cited its established business infrastructure, financial institutions and port facilities.
He also highlighted Gwadar, on the Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan, saying it has the potential to improve regional connectivity and deepen economic cooperation.
For Central Asian states such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, which have no coastline of their own, access to a seaport shapes the cost and speed of reaching distant markets. That is the gap Pakistan is hoping to fill.
Sheikh told the forum that nearly 60 percent of Pakistan’s population is made up of young people, which he described as a significant demographic advantage. He said this gives the country a dynamic workforce and considerable room for economic growth.
He invited regional and international investors to look at opportunities in energy, infrastructure, logistics, transportation, manufacturing and trade.
The minister stressed that better connectivity and reliable energy supplies are essential to realizing the region’s economic potential. Both are long-standing concerns for businesses weighing where to move goods and set up operations.
He also acknowledged the role of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, which he said has helped promote transport connectivity, ease trade and support economic integration among participating countries. In his view, CAREC offers a valuable platform for building stronger economic partnerships between Pakistan and Central Asian states.
Concluding his remarks, Sheikh said regional connectivity is about more than linking roads, ports and markets. It is also about connecting economies, creating investment opportunities, generating jobs and building shared prosperity across the region.
The forum brought together officials and business representatives from across the region to discuss investment and economic cooperation. No specific agreements were mentioned in the minister’s reported remarks.
The message from Almaty fits a wider effort to position Pakistan’s coastline as an asset for neighbors with no sea access. Whether that pitch turns into trade volumes will depend on the practical side of connectivity: road and rail links, border procedures and a steady power supply, the same issues the minister himself named۔
