NA body lauds Maritime Affairs’ ministry for outstanding performance at Ports

The 14 meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs on Wednesday appreciated the Ministry for its outstanding performance at Ports in volatile situation of the region due to Iran-America war

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th May, 2026) The 14 meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs on Wednesday appreciated the Ministry for its outstanding performance at Ports in volatile situation of the region due to Iran-America war.

The meeting was chaired by its Chairman, MNA Abdul Qadir Patel, who lauded the Ministry for its excellent performance at Ports during Iran-America war. Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry expressed its gratitude to the Committee for its positive guidance.

He further added that the KPT proved itself that it had the capacity to deal in every situation and the workers did tremendous jobs even on Eid holidays.

The Committee confirmed the minutes of its previous meeting and considered Agenda Item No. 2 regarding comprehensive reports on the implementation status of previous recommendations. It also reviewed each recommendation separately.

The Committee was informed that the amendments proposed by the Committee in the Karachi Port Trust (Amendment) Bill, the Gwadar Port Authority (Amendment) Bill and the Port Qasim Authority (Amendment) Bill were shared with Ministry of Finance, as proposed by the Law and Justice Division, for its opinion.

The opinion of the Ministry of Finance was placed before the Committee for its perusal.

The inquiry report on issue of held up betel nut containers was also placed before the Committee.

Detail report concerning the expenses incurred on vessels procurement from KS & EW was also placed before the Committee and the Committee was apprised that the provision of PEPRA rules were observed in letter and spirit.

The Committee considered all the Bills, i.e., the Port Qasim Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Gwadar Port Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Karachi Port Trust (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

After detailed deliberations and discussions, the Committee unanimously decided to defer all the bills till its next meeting. The Committee recommended the Ministry to get advice from Law and Justice Division that the “KPT is a trust and whether the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Act, 2023 is applicable on it or not?”

The meeting was attended by MNAs Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Isphanyar M. Bhandara, Pullain Baloch, Hassaan Sabir, Ahmad Atteeq Anwer, Jam Abdul Kareem Bijar, Syed Rafiullah, Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol, the Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs; in addition to the Secretary, officers, and staff from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, PQT, KPT, PNSC, and GPA attended the meeting.