Asian – Dispatch

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday directed officials to prepare a feasibility plan to launch a ferry service from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi to Iraq, the interior ministry said, with the move to facilitate pilgrims traveling to the Middle Eastern country. 

Every year, thousands of Pakistani pilgrims travel to Iraq to visit some of the most revered shrines in Shia Islam, including the mausoleums of Ali in Najaf and Hussain in Karbala. 

Pakistan has eyed increasing religious tourism to Iraq, Iran and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations in recent months. Pakistan granted its first-ever ferry service license to an international operator, Sea Keepers, in August 2025 for routes connecting Pakistan with Iran and other GCC countries. Islamabad also signed a memorandum of understanding the same month to launch a ferry service between the port cities of Umm Qasr and Gwadar. 

“Mohsin Naqvi directed officials to prepare a feasibility plan for launching a ferry service from Karachi to Iraq, noting that it would greatly facilitate pilgrims traveling to Iraq,” the interior ministry said. 

Naqvi was speaking to officials at the Pakistan Coast Guards headquarters in Karachi. The minister chaired a special meeting where he was briefed on the training and operational preparedness of the coast guards. 

Naqvi was briefed that around 14,000 kilograms of narcotics were seized over the past year by the Pakistan Coast Guards, which had an estimated value exceeding Rs8 billion [$28.6 million], the ministry said. 

Naqvi instructed authorities to continue “vigorous operations” against drug trafficking and smuggling, stressing that all efforts must be focused on eliminating smuggling networks in the country.

“He remarked that the Pakistan Coast Guards is a force that performs duties simultaneously on land and at sea and plays a vital role not only during peacetime but also in challenging and wartime situations,” the statement added. 

Pakistan’s move to increase ferry services to other countries comes amid Islamabad’s efforts to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost trade and investment alongside tourism. 

The South Asian country is attempting to slowly recover from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.

Source: Arab News