President Zardari chairs meeting on Keti Bandar Port project

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari chaired a high-level meeting on Keti Bandar Port project at the Presidency, attended by Sindh’s Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other party leaders.

Provincial minister Nasir Hussain Shah and PPP senators Saleem Mandviwala and Sherry Rehman also attended the meeting.

President Zardari was given a detailed briefing over the development of the port at Sindh’s historic coastal town.

China Harbour engineering company presented proposals about the port project.

The session also discussed the future strategy with regard to development of Keti Bandar port.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah last week said that Keti Bandar will be transformed into a modern deep sea-port and economic corridor.

Keti Bandar is a historic coastal town in Thatta district, situated on the Indus River Delta where the river meets the Arabian Sea.

Chief Minister directed Sindh’s Investment Department to prepare a comprehensive Public-Private Partnership model for development of Keti Bandar Port, while chairing a meeting of the department.

He said a large number of domestic as well as foreign investors will throng to Keti Bandar after preparation of the project.

Murad Ali Shah said that the Keti Bandar maritime, fisheries and petroleum economic corridor project could attract billions of dollars investment.

He said a modern fishing harbour, seafood export processing units and petroleum terminals will be established in the project.

He said in the first phase of the project, mini fish-harbours will be built at Keti Bandar and Shah Bandar, which will also include auction halls, cold storage and docking facilities. “In the next phase of the project a complete commercial deep-sea port will be built”, he said.

This project will create new jobs, industrial development and enhance the foreign investment, he added.