Opposition officials have discussed opportunities to establish sea links between Maldives and Pakistan.

According to a local publication in Pakistan, Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF)’s former Chief of Defense Major General (Rtd) and Chairman of Concierge Group Maldives Ahmed Shiyam and MP for Guraidhoo constituency and Deputy Leader of the opposition Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), Ghassan Maumoon were among the five-member business delegation to have visited the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) head office on September 22.

The Maldives delegates were welcomed by the corporation’s Chairman Shakeel Ahmed Magnejo and executive directors of PNSC.

Joined by the High Commissioner of Pakistan, Vice Admiral Athar Mukhtar, discussions revolved around possibilities to establish sea links between Karachi, Pakistan, Colombo, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Further, the delegates discussed the several possibilities to develop direct shipping services of general goods and others to and from Pakistan to the island nation.

The publication went on to reveal that the role of PNSC in the provision of reliable and efficient shipping services overseas and Pakistan’s sea-borne trade was appreciated by the Maldivian delegates.

The opposition officials’ visit to Pakistan to initiate discussions on the establishment of sea links to Maldives comes at a time a cargo ferry service between Maldives and India was launched recently under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the India’s shipping ministry and the transport ministry of Maldives following discussions to initiate the service between both countries was held during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Maldives during 2019, after the PM’s address to the People’s Majlis.

Maldives opposition is putting in efforts to strengthen ties with Pakistan and China in keeping with the close ties between the island nation and both countries during the administration of now incarcerated former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.