Pakistan’s Maritime Potential for The Blue Economy and Its Strategic Impact on Sustainable Socio-Economic Development

Abstract

Pakistan is a littoral state blessed with a 1050 km long coastline of the Arabian Sea that lies in the South of Pakistan and possesses an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 350 nautical miles in the Arabian Sea. Geo strategic location of Pakistan offers a global political and economic pivotal role, and the Gwadar seaport provides the economic phenyl as a transit economy. Pakistan has been blessed with multiple strategic sea-borne resources that include aquaculture, chemical and salt, coastal tourism, fisheries, hydel power generation, marine biomedicine, marine food processing chain, oceanic security, offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, seafood, and wind energy that offers multiple investment opportunities for Pakistan’s sustainable economic development but that has not been explored so far for its optimum commercial use. The sea zones of Pakistan also provide economic dividends to Pakistan and China under the flagship of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and further facilitate inwards to the nation and outwards for regional land-locked countries and the rest of the world. The research concludes with the supporting arguments that the prosperity of Pakistan’s sustainable economic development lies in the exploration of Pakistan’s blue economy.