Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik met with Rear Admiral Shahzad Iqbal HI(M), Director General of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, in Islamabad to strengthen cooperation on marine protection and maritime environmental governance.
Rear Admiral Iqbal updated the minister on PMSA initiatives including the Vessel Monitoring System project designed to enhance maritime surveillance and sustainable fisheries governance. He also outlined PMSA’s operational roles in preventing illegal fishing, managing maritime borders, coordinating inter-ministerial responses, and conducting search and rescue operations as Pakistan’s secondary maritime force.
The DG invited the minister to Exercise BARRACUDA, scheduled for 9–11 December, noting its importance for improving national readiness in oil spill response, marine pollution management, and search and rescue capabilities at sea. The exercise is expected to strengthen operational coordination among federal agencies involved in maritime emergency response.
Both officials discussed the mounting problem of waste dumping at sea and its damaging effects on marine ecosystems, fisheries productivity and Pakistan’s export sector. Dr Musadik Malik reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to work closely with PMSA to protect coastal and marine environments and to integrate climate-resilient approaches into maritime governance.
The meeting emphasized that effective marine protection requires sustained inter-agency collaboration, technological investment and enforcement to safeguard Pakistan’s seas and the livelihoods that depend on them. The minister praised PMSA’s operational role and underlined the need for continued joint action to ensure long-term sustainability of marine resources.
