Islamabad (GNP): Islamabad will host the second edition of the Pakistan Logistics and Shipping Summit (PLSS) 2026, bringing together senior government officials, maritime authorities, port chairmen, and private sector leaders to chart a roadmap for the country’s trade and logistics future.
Organized by the Smart Entrepreneur Society (SES) and powered by Galaxefi, the summit carries the theme “Redefining Global Supply Chains” and is being managed by ACMEEM (SMC-Private) Limited, with the Diplomatic Insight Group serving as outreach partner.
The day’s proceedings will open with the recitation of the Holy Quran and the national anthem, followed by a welcome address from Engr. Mehtab Hussain Baloch, founder of SES and organizer of PLSS 2026. Asif Pervez, founder and CEO of Galaxefi, will deliver the opening session before a series of keynote addresses that set the tone for the summit’s core discussions.
Maj. Gen. Farrukh Shahzad Rao, Director General of the National Logistics Corporation, is expected to speak on institutional coordination in freight movement, while Tariq M. Rangoonwala, Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce Pakistan, and Babar Badat, past president of FIATA and founding chairman of the Pakistan International Freight Forwarders Association, will offer perspectives from Pakistan’s freight forwarding and trade facilitation community.
The inaugural session will be formally opened by Chief Guest Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, underscoring the government’s continued interest in positioning Pakistan as a logistics hub linking South and Central Asia. Following a short tea break, the summit moves into its first substantive panel, themed around Pakistan’s path to five million TEUs and its ambition to become the preferred trade gateway for the wider region.
The panel brings together Muhammad Jamil Ahmed of PIFFA, Mohammad A. Rajper of the Pakistan Ship’s Agents Association, Rear Admiral Javaid Iqbal of the National Institute of Maritime Affairs, Tariq M. Rangoonwala, and Brig. Gen. (R) Raja Shozab Majeed, advisor to the Prime Minister’s National Coordination and Management Council, with Asif Pervez moderating the discussion.
A second panel, focused on building the foundations of Pakistan’s trade competitiveness, will feature senior government representation including Syed Hamid Ali, Special Secretary to the Ministry of Commerce, Faiz Ahmed Chadhar, CEO of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Wajid Ali, Chief Collector of Customs for Appraisement South, and Alia Shahid, Additional Secretary-II at the Ministry of National Food Security and Research. Commodore Raheel Masood, a senior research fellow at NIMA, will moderate the session, which will be followed by a keynote from Farhan Azeem Siddiqui, Director of the BroadPak Group, before a lunch break.
The afternoon sessions turn toward the technological and financial dimensions of the logistics sector. A keynote from a representative of S&P Global will open the third session, titled “Unlocking Pakistan’s Logistics Economy,” followed by a panel discussion among Fayyaz Khundker of Ocean Network Express Pakistan, Shakeel Muhammad of Kuehne+Nagel Pakistan, Anwaar Nizami of TCS Logistics, and Muhammad Anwar of North South Transport Network, moderated by Saqib Majeed Sheikh of Rapid Cargo.
This will be followed by a fourth session on financing Pakistan’s trade future, featuring Dr. Asif Razzaq of the CAREC Institute, Amer Zafar Durrani of Reenergia Impact, and Nadir Mumtaz, former chairman of the Karachi Port Trust, moderated by Suleman Hassan of 1Link.
Also Read: Pak-UK Convene Business Leaders on Investment Reforms
The summit’s closing segment brings a notable concentration of maritime leadership to the podium. Mr. YuBo, Chairman of China Overseas Ports Holding Company, will deliver a keynote address, followed by remarks from Senator Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan, Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, Rear Admiral Syed Moazzam Ilyas, Chairman of Port Qasim Authority, Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed, Chairman of the Karachi Port Trust, and Noor-ul-Haq Baloch, Chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority. The event will conclude with an address by Chief Guest Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, followed by souvenir distribution, a media briefing, and a networking reception.
The summit is being supported by a broad coalition of institutional partners, including the Pakistan International Freight Forwarders Association and Pakistan Ship’s Agents Association as strategic partners, ICC Pakistan and the International Road Transport Union Chamber of Pakistan as supporting partners, and the National Institute of Maritime Affairs as knowledge partner. Media coverage of the event is being facilitated by Pakistan Observer, ProPakistani, DIPLO TV, and The Daily CPEC.
