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Lahore Leads University’s Department of Politics & IR successfully arranged a webinar on “Maritime Security in Pakistan” on Friday July 9, 2021.
Dept. of Politics & IR Head Dr. Javeria Jahangir moderated the activity while Dr. Khushboo Ejaz, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Kinnaird College, Lahore, was the guest speaker.
Being and expert on Maritime Security, Dr. Khushboo Ejaz explained the importance of Maritime Security in detail, and discussed its different aspects i.e. potential of Pakistan in terms of security, risk factors, hurdles and development projects, policies of the government and the role of military regarding maritime security.
The establishment of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency has its genesis in the United Nations Convention on Law Of the Sea -1982 (UNCLOS-82). This was a landmark convention that streamlined most of the gray areas in the law of the sea. In order to consolidate the advantages offered by UNCLOS-82, the requirement of enforcing National and International laws at sea became a necessity. Thus, a National Maritime Affairs Coordination Committee was constituted by the Government in 1983 to look into the new avenues offered by UNCLOS-82. Deliberations of the Maritime Affairs Coordination Committee first led to the establishment of a Maritime Affairs Wing in the Ministry of Defence in May 1986. Thereafter, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency was established on 1st January 1987 for enforcement of National and International laws, policies and conventions at sea. The PMSA Act was passed in 1994 by the Parliament which provided the necessary legal powers to PMSA to perform its tasks.
She emphasized on the need of the time ‘to change ourselves from a sea-blind nation to a maritime nation’. She said that ‘in the wake of changing geopolitical order in the region, it is highly imperative to change our land lock thinking and prioritize the maritime security of Pakistan.
At the end, there was a question-and-answer session in which all the participants showed great interest and raised many questions. All the participants were of the opinion that the lecture was quite informative, fruitful and interesting.
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