��������

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday announced a five-point strategy to accelerate the development of the country’s maritime sector, including plans to build new ports and expand the national shipping fleet to boost its share in the economy.

The announcement came as the minister inaugurated Pakistan Maritime Week 2025, saying the goal was to make the country “an important player in the global blue economy.”

Apart from increasing the number of vessels and ports, the five-point strategy also includes establishing shipbuilding and recycling facilities, launching coastal industrial projects and investing in education and welfare programs for port communities.

“We will establish three new ports and increase the number of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) vessels to 60 within the next three years,” Chaudhry said at the ceremony in Karachi. “A modern integrated maritime complex will also be established to provide shipbuilding, recycling and green technology facilities.”

He said the government had already launched a Rs12 billion ($42.4 million) Gadani project, part of the broader initiative to modernize the shipbreaking and maritime industrial base along Pakistan’s coast.

“Our objective is to increase the maritime sector’s contribution to the national GDP from 0.8 percent to 4 percent,” the minister added.

The ministry also plans to create an educational fund for children of port workers and upgrade logistics to reduce Pakistan’s heavy sea freight bill by expanding the national fleet.

“All of Pakistan’s ports will reach full operational capacity before 2047,” Chaudhry said, describing the plan as a roadmap to align Pakistan’s maritime economy with international standards and sustainability targets.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday lauded the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for achieving a record 5.9 million income tax returns and adding nearly a million new taxpayers this year, describing it as a sign of growing public confidence in the system, according to a statement circulated by his office.

The FBR, which is responsible for revenue generation and meeting tax targets, announced a “significant increase” in income tax return filings a day earlier, saying 5.9 million tax returns had been submitted by the end of October compared to five million in the same period last year, a 17.6 percent rise.

Out of these, 3.6 million taxpayers filed returns with tax payments, reflecting an 18.6 percent increase over 2024.

“The addition of 900,000 new tax filers to the network reflects citizens’ confidence in the government’s policies,” the statement quoted the prime minister as saying. “By the grace of God, the reforms in the tax system are yielding positive results.”

Sharif said merit had been prioritized within the FBR, adding that capable officers were being encouraged while poor performers were discouraged under a new performance-based culture.

He maintained that tax procedures had also been simplified, and automation at ports had helped curb corruption and improve efficiency.

“I personally chaired weekly meetings to oversee the FBR’s digital transformation,” he said, adding that efforts to formalize the economy through an expansion in point-of-sale registrations had curbed sales tax evasion.

The prime minister also pointed to a Rs9 billion ($31.8 million) year-on-year increase in tax revenues, calling it “clear proof” of the government’s reform agenda.

In a string of social media posts a day earlier, the FBR said the rise in return filings marked “a new milestone in voluntary compliance and taxpayer awareness.”

It added that individual taxpayers had paid nearly Rs69 billion ($244 million) in income tax this year, up from Rs60 billion ($212 million) in 2024, a 15 percent increase.

The FBR attributed the surge to a nationwide outreach campaign, involving robocalls, WhatsApp messages, and targeted reminders encouraging citizens to file on time.

It also reiterated its commitment to creating a fair, transparent and inclusive tax system.