Federal Minister Ports and Shipping, Babar Khan Ghauri has announced to hand over Pakistan Maritime Academy (PMA) to the Master Mariners Society of Pakistan (MMSP). Speaking as chief guest at the Lifetime Achievement Awards distribution ceremony of MMSP at a local hotel on Sunday, Babar Ghauri said that his ministry emphasises on public-private partnership and under this policy has decided to hand over PMA to the MMSP to run its affairs.
He advised the MMSP President Captain Haleem Siddiqui and other office bearers to form a committee to take over PMA. He, however, said that the admissions to the PMA should be purely on merit and no influence would be sustained even from his ministry. He expressed his dismay over the red tapism in the bureaucracy, which is the biggest hurdle in country's development and economic progress. He pointed out that red tapism had opposed the signing of shipping protocol with India but now Pakistan has earned millions of rupees through this protocol.
He urged upon all stakeholders and people of Pakistan to resist this red tapism, which has prevented the country from prospering in every field of life. He said that quota system introduced in 1973 was the biggest injustice to this nation and which has divided the nation. "Quota system has not only divided the nation but ruined Pakistan and eliminated merit from the country", he said. He also lamented that KPT's land is being encroached upon and the government is not taking any action against land grabbers but instead Karachi's land is being leased out to the land grabbers on the pretext of 'katchchi abadis'. Ghauri said.
President MMSP, Captain Haleem Siddqui while narrating the history of those life achievers who brought laurels for Pakistan due to their best professional services as master mariners. He especially pointed out the example of Captain M K Sayieed who had developed Singapore Port and also established Singapore's national shipping company.
Captain Haleem pointed out that Pakistani sailors who sailed through entire world in all weather conditions and served many countries are now facing real problems as they are denied jobs by foreign shipping companies despite the fact that there is a shortage of about 30,000 sailors in the shipping industry all over the world presently.-PR