1 Strategic Thought-2022 [1-12] PAKISTAN’S BLUE ECONOMY POTENTIAL, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS Dr. Nazir Hussain * Abstract Water and oceans have tremendous value for inhabitation and carry great potential for trade and economic connectivity. The sea-trade has been an ancient activity to build economic power of the state. Pakistan has a coastline of over 1000 km, along with 290,000 sq.km extended Exclusive Economic Zone with abundance of marine, fisheries, mineral, and energy resources that can generate additional revenues. Moreover, Pakistan’s geo-oceanic position provides tremendous opportunities of the sea-based activities such as transportation, tourism, shipbuilding, port facilities, and renewable energy. Based on these factors, 2020 was declared as the ‘Year of Blue Economy of Pakistan.’ Also, there are new strategies being conceived by the great powers to harness the potential of sea-based economy. However, along with opportunities, there are problems too; therefore, this paper endeavors to highlight the challenges and prospects of Blue Economy for Pakistan and gives policy recommendations as a way forward. Keywords: Blue Economy, Exclusive Economic Zone, Marine Resources, Coastline. Introduction ater provides essential commodities to live, serves as means of communications, and works as a possible livelihood. The rise of great civilizations, Egyptian, Babylonian, Mesopotamian, and Indus, were due to their inhabitation on the banks of rivers, Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus. The Persians established regular routes of communication between three continents; * Dr. Hussain is Professor of International Relations. He is former Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, and former Director School of Politics and International Relations Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. He has Post-Doc Fellowship from French Institute of International Relations, (IFRI), Paris-France. He was Visiting Fellow at the Henry L. Stimson Centre, Washington DC, and Research Associate with the International Committee of the Red Cross, (ICRC) Switzerland. He has over 30 years of teaching, research and administrative experience. He has written extensively on national and international security issues with more than 80 research publications. He is also associated with the electronic media and hosted various current affairs programs, including the live coverage of Agra Summit in July 2001. The authors’ email address is sheeshagr2021@gmail.com. W