KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that the government was taking steps for the development of seaports for provision of shortest corridor to the regional countries, especially to the Central Asian States.

He said that with a spur in sea trade by the Central Asian States, China and other countries of the region would have inter-connectivity via Pakistani ports that would enable the country to earn worth billions of dollars as foreign revenue every year.

The prime minister expressed these views during a visit to Hutchison Port, South Asian Pakistan Terminal at Karachi port where he was given a briefing, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

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On the occasion, he directed the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to prioritize installation of latest scanners on ports.

The prime minister said that the customs authorities in collaboration with the ports authorities should take immediate steps for complete utilization of the seaports in Pakistan.

The prime minister was briefed that the process for installation of latest scanners on ports by the FBR was in the final stages which would enable rapid scanning of containers in the short time with assistance of latest gadgets and artificial intelligence.

The prime minister said that for the progress of the country, it was imperative that its ports were also developed. He said that for increasing country’s exports, the government was taking measures on priority basis.

Federal ministers Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Jam Kamal Khan, Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh, Ahad Khan Cheema, Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tesori, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chairman FBR and other concerned officials accompanied the prime minister.

The prime minister was apprised that Hutchison Port, South Asian Pakistan Terminal was amongst the few global terminals located in deep seas which was being automatically operated upon.

The terminal had been equipped with latest technology and scanners and its operations were of the international standards.

The prime minister was further informed that the port had the capacity to handle the shipment of 35,00,000 containers annually. The prime minister appreciated the latest operations of the port.