By Khawaja Hamza
Karachi, A high-level delegation from Kazakhstan led by prominent businessman and Freedom Holding Corporation CEO Timur Turlov arrived in Karachi for strategic discussions with Pakistani port authorities aimed at expanding regional trade, logistics connectivity, and investment cooperation centered around Gwadar Port.
The Kazakh delegation participated in high-level meetings with senior officials from the Gwadar Port Authority, Karachi Port Trust, and Port Qasim Authority at the Karachi Port Trust headquarters.
Discussions focused on enhancing maritime trade, transport connectivity, logistics infrastructure, banking cooperation, IT collaboration, and long-term regional economic integration between Pakistan and Central Asian states.
Chairman of Gwadar Port Authority, Noorul Haq Baloch, briefed the delegation on Gwadar Port’s expanding role under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework, emphasizing that Gwadar is being developed into a major regional transshipment and logistics hub connecting South Asia, Central Asia, China, and the Middle East.
He highlighted that Gwadar Port offers Central Asian countries the shortest trade route to warm waters and possesses modern deep-sea infrastructure, growing transshipment capacity, investor-friendly policies, and extensive opportunities in:
Logistics and warehousing
Manufacturing and value-added industries
Industrial cooperation
Long-term commercial investment
Officials also underscored the incentives available in the Gwadar Free Zone, including tax exemptions, customs facilitation, and comparatively low operational costs aimed at attracting international investors and regional businesses.
The Kazakh delegation reportedly expressed strong interest in utilizing Gwadar Port for regional trade and transit operations. Discussions also covered potential trade corridor projects linking Central Asia to Gwadar through Afghanistan, China, and Iran, reflecting broader efforts to reshape regional connectivity and diversify export access routes for landlocked Central Asian economies.
Timur Turlov praised Pakistan’s growing role in regional economic integration and described Gwadar’s development vision as strategically important for future Eurasian connectivity.
Analysts view the visit as another indication of rising international interest in Gwadar Port as Pakistan seeks to position the facility as a future gateway for trade and investment linking South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
The visit also reflects Islamabad’s broader strategy of leveraging CPEC infrastructure to strengthen Pakistan’s role in regional supply chains, logistics corridors, and cross-border commercial integration amid increasing competition for trade connectivity across Eurasia.
