The National Assembly approved the bill of the Port Authority of the Port of Pakistan 2025 on Thursday to facilitate the movement of goods and people through border crossing points.
With the approval of the bill, Pakistan would become the third country in southern Asia, after Bangladesh and India, to have a terrestrial port authority. The Port of Bangladesh Port Authority was created in 2002, while India did so in March 2012.
“The Chamber discussed and approved the bill of the Port of Pakistan Port Authority, 2025,” said the official X of the NA. The bill was transferred by the Minister of State for the interior of Tallal Chaudhry on behalf of the Interior Minister, Mohsin Raza Naqvi.
Once approved by the Senate and signed by President Asif Ali Zardari, the bill will establish the Port of Pakistan Port Authority, which would work as a legal body responsible for the coordination between agencies to facilitate the movement of goods and people through border crossing points.
As MNA Ali Zahid, who presided over the session, ordered the reading of the clause by clause of the bill, Syed Syed Qamar, that his party had reservations about some clauses.
“The party legislative committee reviewed the bill and suggested a complete amount of amendments in the bill to be a better authority,” said Qamar, president of the Permanent Committee of Finance and Income of the NA.
“[…] We have accepted the bill after going through many deliberations and negotiations with the committee, ”said Qamar.
At the invitation of Zahid, Qamar read amendments to at least 12 legislation clauses, each of which Chaudhry said he had no objections. They moved individually before the camera and voted in favor of, and subsequently, the bill was also approved.
The Law of Port Authority of the Earth of Pakistan
The PPP government made the first attempt to establish a land port authority in 2012 under the scope of the Ministry of Commerce, while the PTI government made the second attempt in 2021.
The PML-N government had also discussed the matter during its previous mandate in 2016, with several models of improved border posts for load covered in Jamrud, Taftan and Sust Mulled.
In December 2024, the Minister of Law, Azam Nazeer Tarar, transferred the bill in Naqvi, but at that time, vice president Ghulam Mustafa Shah had not referred to the relevant committee.
The proposed legislation will provide a framework for the declaration, regulation, security and supervision of all land ports to promote trade, promote free competition, implement border control and protect the strategic interests of the country.
The Port Authority will establish a solid mechanism to carry out effective coordination with the border agencies for commercial facilitation in compliance with commitments under international agreements and conventions to improve the efficiency of the port of the Earth and the competitiveness of the regional port.
The bill also proposes the establishment of a government council of 16 members to supervise the authority.
Currently, there is no unique agency for the coordinated operation of several government authorities and service providers at international border points. This lack of coordination sometimes causes a delay in the flow of goods and passengers.
It is also necessary to install high -tech equipment in land ports to verify illegal immigration and smuggling of goods.
