Experts at a seminar yesterday were unanimous in their views that Karachi could become a major hub for transit trade for landlocked and energy rich Central Asian countries in the north and oil rich and capital surplus Middle East to the West with vibrant economies of East Asia having strong appetite for energy.
The seminar was jointly organised by the IRU (International Road Union), Economic Cooperation Organisation and the Ministry of Commerce. The speakers called for an early ratification of various international conventions, including TIR convention of UN, which facilitates movement of goods through land routes on a guaranteed system.
They urged the government to modernise its trucking policy and also to develop country’s international freight forwarding industry. It was pointed out that trucking modernisation policy was approved by the federal cabinet in 2007. However, it is yet to be implemented.
