Pakistan granted extension of continental shelf: FO
Pakistan will have exclusive rights for exploitation, exploration of resources at and beneath the seabed in this area
PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
The United Nation’s Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has unanimously approved Pakistan’s claim for the extension of outer limits of its continental shelf, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said on Friday.
Pakistan's continental shelf limits have been extended from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan Navy on Friday.
“As a consequence of this landmark development, Pakistan has been granted an additional area of approximately 50,000 square kilometres,” the foreign office statement read. “Pakistan 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 statement added that this approval will help Pakistan in its socio-economic progress and thanked Oman “for its understanding and cooperation in the matter”.
Article 76 of the UN Convention on Law and Sea (UNCLOS) allows coastal states to extend their continental shelf beyond 200 NM. However, a coastal state is required to make its case to the CLCS – a body of 21 experts in geology, geophysics, hydrography and other related disciplines.
The project to extend the limits of Pakistan's continental shelf was started in 2005, jointly by Pakistan Navy and National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) with Ministry of Science and Technology as the sponsor Ministry.
Pakistan had submitted its claim to the CLCS in April 2009. A 7-member sub-commission of the CLCS undertook in-depth review of Pakistan’s submission and, after more than a year of scrutiny and analysis, adopted recommendations for the extension of Pakistan's continental shelf from 200 to 350 NM.
During this process, a technical delegation from Pakistan undertook multiple interactions with the sub-commission.
The technical delegation comprised Judge Advocate General of Pakistan Navy Commodore Zafar Mansoor Tipu TI (M), National Institute of Oceanography Director General and Project Director Dr Asif Inam, Deputy Hydrographer Pakistan Navy Commander Salman Ahmed Khan, National Institute of Oceanography GIS Analyst Mohsin Tabrez and National Institute of Oceanography Geophysicist Khalid Mehmood.
During the final stage, Pakistan’s delegation, headed by Dr Maliha Lodhi, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, gave the final presentation on March 10.
The United Nation’s Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has unanimously approved Pakistan’s claim for the extension of outer limits of its continental shelf, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said on Friday.
Pakistan's continental shelf limits have been extended from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan Navy on Friday.
“As a consequence of this landmark development, Pakistan has been granted an additional area of approximately 50,000 square kilometres,” the foreign office statement read. “Pakistan 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 statement added that this approval will help Pakistan in its socio-economic progress and thanked Oman “for its understanding and cooperation in the matter”.
Article 76 of the UN Convention on Law and Sea (UNCLOS) allows coastal states to extend their continental shelf beyond 200 NM. However, a coastal state is required to make its case to the CLCS – a body of 21 experts in geology, geophysics, hydrography and other related disciplines.
The project to extend the limits of Pakistan's continental shelf was started in 2005, jointly by Pakistan Navy and National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) with Ministry of Science and Technology as the sponsor Ministry.
Pakistan had submitted its claim to the CLCS in April 2009. A 7-member sub-commission of the CLCS undertook in-depth review of Pakistan’s submission and, after more than a year of scrutiny and analysis, adopted recommendations for the extension of Pakistan's continental shelf from 200 to 350 NM.
During this process, a technical delegation from Pakistan undertook multiple interactions with the sub-commission.
The technical delegation comprised Judge Advocate General of Pakistan Navy Commodore Zafar Mansoor Tipu TI (M), National Institute of Oceanography Director General and Project Director Dr Asif Inam, Deputy Hydrographer Pakistan Navy Commander Salman Ahmed Khan, National Institute of Oceanography GIS Analyst Mohsin Tabrez and National Institute of Oceanography Geophysicist Khalid Mehmood.
During the final stage, Pakistan’s delegation, headed by Dr Maliha Lodhi, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, gave the final presentation on March 10.