Pakistan, Aug. 1 -- Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has urged the immediate launch of Pakistan's first-ever ferry service. He stressed the need to remove bureaucratic delays and help private operators enter the sea travel industry. The goal is to make regional travel cheaper, faster, and more accessible-especially for religious pilgrims.

The minister issued these directions during a detailed briefing by Director General Shipping and Ports, Alia Shahid, in Islamabad. He instructed authorities to fully digitalise the ferry licensing process and merge it with the Pakistan Single Window platform. This system already handles ship registrations and will speed up new ferry permits. The minister also demanded that the...