Pakistan fails to win seat in IMO council

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Pakistan fails to win seat in IMO council

By Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana
Thursday, 03 Dec, 2009

A six-member delegation from the ministry of ports and shipping stayed there for a month, but failed to muster support to win this prestigious post at the UN body on maritime affairs. – Photo by APP.

KARACHI: Pakistan suffered a major setback at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) council elections where it lost the 2010-2011 biennium by scoring 50 votes only.

India and Bangladesh scored more than 130 votes, out of 169 member states who participated in the IMO’s council election for grades A, B and C on Nov 27. Both India and Bangladesh won Grade B.

Nigeria, Kenya scored more than 100 votes, but Pakistan could not even fare well against smaller states and obtained the lowest level of Grade C, sources said, adding it happened despite the fact that a six-member delegation from the ministry of ports and shipping, headed by a joint secretary and chairman, Gwadar Port, Aslam Hayat stayed there for a month, but failed to muster support to win this prestigious post at the UN body on maritime affairs.

The IMO council is tasked to form regulations, make conventions on maritime affairs and has a 40-member representation.

In category A, all those states contest who have largest interest in providing international shipping services whereas in category B those countries are represented who have largest interest in world seaborne trade and in category C states having special interests in maritime transport or navigation are represented.

A delegation member told Dawn that a major factor behind the defeat was lack of interest and lobbying by the delegation members who accompanied their families.

Ports and shipping circles have demand that the ministry should constitute an enquiry on the failure of its delegation to win the council seat which was once held by Pakistan for a long period.