Extending limits

The Pakistan Navy has extended its Indian Ocean limits, which not only shows greater responsibility but also trust of the international community on the capacity and capability of our navy. This is being regarded as a landmark development. We have had this role for a couple of years but now the United Nations’ Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has formally and unanimously approved our claim for the extension of outer limits of its continental shelf.
Under the CLCS approval, Pakistan’s continental shelf limits have been extended from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles. As a consequence, we have been granted an additional area of approximately 50,000 square kilometres. We will have exclusive rights for exploitation and exploration of resources at and beneath the seabed in this area in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The agreement and grant of limit extension are significant because this will help Pakistan in its socioeconomic progress.
Fauzia Sardar Niazi
Islamabad