{"id":22794,"date":"2025-08-08T09:36:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T09:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=22794"},"modified":"2025-08-08T09:36:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T09:36:18","slug":"religious-tourism-pakistan-iraq-ferry-service-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=22794","title":{"rendered":"Religious tourism: Pakistan-Iraq ferry service announced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New sea route to Iraq follows Pakistan\u2019s approved ferry links with Iran and GCC countries<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan\u2019s Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry meeting with Abdulqadir Sulyman Alhimiri from Iraq Embassy in IslamabadSupplied<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dubai: Pakistan and Iraq have agreed to launch a ferry service<\/a> connecting Gwadar Port in Pakistan with Umm Qasr Port in Iraq, marking a significant step in enhancing bilateral maritime cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative comes following an earlier announcement on Tuesday of Pakistan\u2019s maritime routes to Iran and Gulf countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This agreement was signed during a meeting between Pakistan\u2019s Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, and an Iraqi Embassy delegation led by Deputy Head of Mission Abdulqadir Sulyman Alhimiri in Islamabad on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read:Pakistan, Saudi naval chiefs seek broader maritime cooperation<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Minister Chaudhry described the initiative as \u201ca new chapter\u201d in Pakistan-Iraq relations, emphasizing the ferry service\u2019s potential to boost trade, religious tourism, and regional integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move comes amid growing cross-border religious travel. Last year, over 88,000 Pakistani pilgrims visited Iraq for the Ashura observance, a figure both countries see as a strong foundation for establishing regular sea links that will serve pilgrims and traders alike.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis ferry connection can leverage our shared cultural and religious bonds while unlocking new business opportunities,\u201d said Chaudhry, highlighting its alignment with Pakistan\u2019s blue economy strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broader maritime expansion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The agreement complements Pakistan\u2019s recent approval of international ferry services to Iran and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including the UAE, Oman, and Bahrain. The UK-based operator Sea Keeper has been licensed to run these services from Karachi and Gwadar, providing affordable, efficient, and safe alternatives to air and road travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, these initiatives lay the groundwork for a regional maritime network that will enhance trade, tourism, and logistics connectivity between Pakistan and Middle Eastern markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read:Pakistan’s new Gwadar Airport opened with inaugural PIA flight<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Trade and strategic Cooperation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to facilitating passenger travel, the ferry service aims to boost economic ties. Minister Chaudhry noted Pakistan\u2019s ability to supply Potassium Sulphate to Iraq, with production facilities located in the Gwadar Free Zone. He also proposed expanding exports of medicines, halal meat, and rice, alongside increasing Iraqi oil imports into Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister sought Iraq\u2019s support for Pakistan\u2019s participation in upcoming International Maritime Organisation (IMO) elections, a request that received full backing from the Iraqi delegation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, Pakistan\u2019s exports to Iraq stand at $54.29 million, while imports, mainly petroleum products, total $145.46 million. Both countries view the ferry service as a catalyst to significantly increase these figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Technical teams from both countries will conduct feasibility studies and work out operational details. The ferry service is expected to launch later this year, opening a vital maritime corridor that will reduce transportation costs, improve logistics, and expand regional trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis initiative connects people, markets, and faiths building a regional future through the sea,\u201d said Minister Chaudhry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reference Link:- https:\/\/gulfnews.com\/world\/asia\/pakistan\/religious-tourism-pakistan-iraq-ferry-service-announced-1.500224721<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New sea route to Iraq follows Pakistan\u2019s approved ferry links with Iran and GCC countries Pakistan\u2019s Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry meeting with Abdulqadir Sulyman Alhimiri from Iraq Embassy in IslamabadSupplied Dubai: Pakistan and Iraq have agreed to launch a ferry service connecting Gwadar Port in Pakistan with Umm Qasr Port in Iraq, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[132,22403,743,105,299,1646,36,22404,22405],"class_list":["post-22794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sample-category","tag-economy","tag-ferry-services","tag-gcc","tag-geopolitics-2","tag-iran","tag-iraq","tag-pakistan","tag-religious-tourism","tag-religious-tourism-pakistan-iraq-ferry-service-announced"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22794"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22796,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22794\/revisions\/22796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}