Pakistan and its territorial waters have been successfully removed from the Joint War Committee’s (JWC’s) high-risk listed areas maintained by the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA).
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced the breakthrough development on Thursday while addressing the 2nd Pakistan Logistics and Shipping Summit 2026.
On the occasion the minister highlighted the importance of the historic achievement for the economy of Pakistan, remarking that it would improve the competitiveness of national exports and strengthen the confidence of international shipping companies, traders, and investors.
He further noted that the lifting of the war-risk designation is expected to boost commercial traffic across Karachi Port, Port Qasim, and Gwadar Port.
The long-awaited exclusion from the LMA’s Joint War Committee (JWC) designations promises to significantly lower operational burdens for commercial vessels entering domestic waters of the country.
Pakistan and its maritime zones had remained on the JWC war-risk listed areas since the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Inclusion on the high-risk register required shipowners to pay burdensome additional war-risk insurance premiums and surcharges, driving up overall transit costs for commercial cargo.
According to Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted a special committee under his leadership to challenge the high-risk classification through rigorous diplomatic and technical engagement.
The delegation subsequently presented factual security data and technical evidence during extensive deliberations to secure the country’s removal from the list.
Highlighting the intensity of the diplomatic push, the minister noted, “Even during Ramazan, lengthy meetings were held for several hours,” which eventually secured the country’s removal from the restricted register.
