Maritime Affairs in Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone in Indian Ocean

Abstract

The development and well being of the human race is very closely interlinked with the seas, which take up about 70% of the earth's surface area. Owing to shrinking of resources on land most of the maritime nations have fully exploited what the seas offer as a medium of transportation and the rich resources that they hide within their bowels but few are still lacking behind on the pretext of various challenges being faced out at sea. Now the technology is at a stage where even the tidal and wave energy can be harnessed for power generation. This immense potential of the seas makes them a valuable asset for any nation. Pakistan is also fortunate to have a more than 1000 Km sea frontage and has benefited from it but the extent of derived advantage is far less than what it can be. Total area of Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is 240,000 Sq km. Whereas, with the approval of Continental Shelf by UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) on 13 March 2015, yet another area of 50000 Sq km has been added which makes a total of 290,000 Sq km which is larger than the combined land area of Sindh and KPK provinces of Pakistan and can be rightly regarded as the maritime province of the country. Nevertheless Pakistan has yet to tap its rich resources to the optimum advantage. It would not be wrong to say that relevant stake holders are not even fully aware of the resources that can be exploited and the available figures are only estimations which cannot be used for effective planning for management and exploitation of these resources. Conscientious effort has been been made in this dissertation to find out the reasons why Optimum exploitation of maritime resources in Pakistan is not being done, due to lack of protection of resources and various challenges out at sea or some other reasons. By pitching the maritime resources with certain challenges being faced at Pakistan’s EEZ in the Indian Ocean, it was analyzed that in fact it is lack of ‘will’ at all levels of the government, private and public stake holders. Nevertheless, detailed estimation through survey and mapping of living and non-living resources needs to be undertaken in systematic manners with complete harmony at all level using one window operation. Most of the challenges are already being thwart with the help of International community out at sea in the Indian Ocean. A National Maritime Authority needs to be created at Federal level with the portfolio of maritime affairs presently being handled by various ministries, divisions and departments at Provincial and Federal level. Pakistan Navy must be equipped adequately to be a credible force for protection of sovereignty, Maritime Security, SLOCs and to act as a potent force in Pakistan’s EEZ.