ISLAMABAD: AUG 7 (DNA):Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has urged port city journalists to highlight Pakistan’s blue economy and its importance for livelihoods and climate resilience.
Addressing a 30-member delegation of the Sindh Parliamentary Reporters Association, the minister encouraged the media to move beyond conventional coverage of shipping and trade. He called for greater focus on issues such as aquaculture, sustainable fisheries, mangrove restoration, and community?led coastal protection projects.
The Sindh Parliamentary Reporters Association delegation, currently on a study tour of the capital led by its Secretary General Akram Baloch and Tahir Sadiqui, senior staff reporter at Dawn and Secretary Gym Club of the Karachi Press Club, visited the Ministry of Maritime Affairs at the invitation of Federal Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry.
Junaid Chaudhry said port cities, particularly Karachi, are at the forefront of both maritime economic potential and the risks posed by climate change. Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and increasingly frequent extreme weather events threaten infrastructure, livelihoods, and local economies.
He stressed that these urban and coastal hubs can only secure their future by embedding climate resilience into growth strategies centered on the blue economy. This, he explained, is not limited to maritime commerce but includes the sustainable management of marine resources for the benefit of communities and biodiversity.
The minister urged journalists to tell the human stories of Pakistan’s maritime sector from small?scale fishers working in coastal creeks to port labourers and logistics workers linking local realities to national and global audiences.
Highlighting government initiatives, Junaid Chaudhry pointed to efforts to expand aquaculture along the Sindh and Balochistan coasts, modernize fishing fleets for efficiency and sustainability, and accelerate mangrove plantation drives.
Pakistan’s mangrove forests, he noted, rank among the largest in the world. They protect coasts from storm surges, store carbon, and sustain marine life that underpins the fisheries industry.
He emphasized that partnerships with international organizations are strengthening fisheries management as part of a long?term vision to make Karachi and other port cities models of sustainable maritime development. This vision balances economic growth with environmental care.
He urged reporters to adopt a solutions?focused approach, showcasing positive examples such as fishing cooperatives improving incomes through eco?friendly practices or communities protected by restored mangroves. Such stories, he said, can help mobilize public and policy support for blue economy goals.
The minister announced that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs would support capacity?building initiatives to promote informed and impactful maritime journalism.
Delegates from the Sindh Parliamentary Reporters Association welcomed the proposals for specialized training in maritime reporting and improved access to sector?specific data.
Federal minister’s engagement reflects the government’s recognition that storytelling from port?city journalists can bridge the gap between economic opportunities and environmental imperatives.
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