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KARACHI: Pakistan on Tuesday highlighted investment opportunities in cargo handling, terminals and other maritime projects to a visiting United States delegation while briefing them on the country’s port facilities and connectivity options.
Pakistan is striving to modernize its ports and customs systems to improve efficiency, speed up cargo handling and delivery and facilitate businesses engaged in imports and exports, aiming to boost national revenue.

Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed officials to cut the time required to process containers to avoid congestion at port facilities. The government not only wants a more efficient system for Pakistan’s own trade but also hopes to handle cargo from the landlocked Central Asian republics, giving them greater access to global markets through sea lanes.

"US delegation visited the Ministry of Maritime Affairs on Tuesday, where they were received by Federal Secretary Syed Zafar Ali Shah," said an official statement released by the maritime ministry. "During the meeting, the secretary briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s port facilities, operational capacities, business models, cooperation opportunities and maritime connectivity."

"Discussions highlighted potential cooperation areas at Port Qasim, emphasizing investment prospects in bulk, break-bulk, containerized cargo handling and off-dock terminals," it added.

The delegation was informed that Karachi Port operates three private container terminals, one private bulk terminal, three liquid cargo berths, an environment-friendly cement export facility and 13 dry cargo berths.

Karachi Port currently handles 54 percent of Pakistan’s trade with an annual capacity of 125 million tons, the statement said, adding that it improved its global ranking to 61st among 405 container ports in 2023 and recently managed the country’s largest vessel, measuring 400 meters.

The Port Qasim Authority chairman briefed the visitors on ongoing projects, including dredging of navigation channels, commissioning an alternate route, dualization of a 26-kilometer main access road, and installation of effluent treatment plants in the industrial zones.

He informed planned projects included a coastal economic zone, two LNG terminals on a build-operate-transfer basis, a shipyard, multipurpose cargo terminals, an integrated container terminal and a second oil terminal with storage facilities.

The delegation was also briefed on Gwadar Port’s strategic location, tourism potential, infrastructure projects and special economic zones.

The statement said the US delegation expressed interest in all three ports, including LNG terminals and bulk cargo handling, while recognizing the importance of Pakistan’s maritime facilities as a significant opportunity for economic development.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s telecom regulator said on Tuesday it blocked more than 1,300 websites, applications and social media pages involved in selling leaked data of Pakistani nationals.

The development follows a local broadcaster’s report that thousands of Pakistanis, including federal ministers and senior officials, were affected by a personal data breach, with the information now being offered for sale online.

The leaked data reportedly includes the addresses of mobile phone subscribers, call logs, copies of national identity cards and records of foreign travel. The breach appears to cover a wide range of individuals across different levels of government.

Only licensed telecom companies are responsible for storing and managing subscriber data, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

"In its ongoing crackdown on unlawful content, PTA has blocked 1,372 sites, apps and social media pages involved in selling or sharing personal data," it said in a statement.

"Initial review shows the reported datasets include family details, travel records, vehicle registrations and CNIC copies indicating aggregation from multiple external sources, not telecom operators."

The PTA added that it did not find any breaches within the licensed telecom sector.

On Monday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered an investigation into the sensitive data leak, directing the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency to probe the matter and submit a report within 14 days.

Dozens of websites were offering the sensitive data at low prices, with mobile location information available for Rs500, detailed mobile records for Rs2,000 and international travel details for Rs5,000, according to a local media report.

This is not the first time that personal information of Pakistani nationals has been leaked online, raising concerns about potential misuse with far-reaching consequences for those affected.

In May this year, the National Cybercrime Emergency Response Team issued a warning that login credentials and passwords of more than 180 million Internet users in Pakistan had been stolen in a global data breach, urging people to take immediate protective measures.

In March 2024, a joint investigation team, formed to probe a data leak from the National Database and Registration Authority, told the interior ministry that credentials of as many as 2.7 million Pakistanis had been compromised between 2019 and 2023.