China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) | Updates & Discussions

[Kompromat]

Gwadar-Kashghar route: JCC to meet next week at Beijing to finalise modalities

February 07, 2014


The Joint Co-operation Committee (JCC) of Pak-China Economic Corridor would meet in the second week of the current month in Beijing (China) to finalise the modalities for making Gwadar-Kashghar route operational, said chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Shahid Ashraf Tarar.

"China is going to invest billions of dollars in the project, accordingly they have big say in the designing of the project," said NHA Chairman while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Communications, which met with Daud Khan Achakzai in the chair here on Thursday.

The committee expressed serious concerns over the re-designing of Gwadar-Kashghar route, saying that major cities of Balochistan including Quetta and Zhob had been excluded from the route, while the most disturbed areas of the province had been made part of the route after redesigning. Committee member Zahid Khan also raised objections over the design of the route, saying Peshawar had been excluded while Islamabad and Hawailian would be linked to the route, which was not justifiable.

Chairman NHA informed the committee that China was focusing on three points including utilisation of existing tracks to make the project operational at the earliest. They also wanted to seek the shortest possible way, besides connecting more economic zones, Tarrar added. Senator Kamil Ali Agha said construction of new route would be no more than 18-20 percent and the existing roads would be upgraded under the project. However, the project should be completed in the best interest of the country as no neighbours are happy with the project.

The Committee recommended that Chinese authorities should be informed that law and order on the proposed route was not good, therefore other road should be utilised covering most populated areas with good economic opportunities like Quetta. Chairman NHA informed that the concerned authorities would be apprised of the Committee recommendation; however China, the main investor was firm on its design and stance while Pakistan had little to say in that regard.

Tarrar further said the federal government had earmarked Rs 12 billion in the Public Sector Development Programme for 2013-14 for Balochistan, of which Rs 3.4 billion have so far been released. The committee expressed annoyance over the non-implementation of its recommendations regarding the promotion of NHA officers which was due since long. The Ministry informed that there was a status quo in promotion order of officers/officials issued by Islamabad High Court in writ petition filed by Tanveer Ishaq on April 3, 2013. Altamash Khan, GM (Engineer BS 20) has also filed a writ petition before IHC for promotion, but the matter is still sub-judice. On the stay application of the officers' concerned filed with the main petition, the High Court has passed restraining order dated October 1, 2013.

The committee members observed that the promotion to the deserving officers should be given immediately, as it was their due rights, they are waiting since long. Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmad assured the committee to resolve the issue soon and the committee would be apprised in this regard.

Gwadar-Kashghar route: JCC to meet next week at Beijing to finalise modalities | Business Recorder

The Pakistan Railway is planning to lay a new track to connect Gawadar and Karachi as well as ML-2 track from Gwadar to Dera Ghazi Khan via Khuzdar, Baseema and Jacobabad is also under consideration. The Chinese government will complete its study on the tracks till December 2015 and it would bear all expenditures.

PR planning to operate shuttle trains among big cities

 

[VCheng]

construction of new route would be no more than 18-20 percent and the existing roads would be upgraded under the project.

So basically a realignment of the main routes with upgraded links as necessary. No train link or oil pipeline over Khunjerab?

 

[VCheng]

#1) What do you mean by all weather transport links? The KKH is an all weather transport link.

#2) Pipelines are in the pipeline, so to speak, so is a rail link. Frankly speaking, with the road laid out the pipeline won't be an issue, the rail link though will be impressive.
.............
Just thought that I should clear some things up. I believe there was a thread on the proposed plans, you can answer me there so as not to derail this thread further.

................

Please read Post #181 above. There is no pipeline "in the pipeline" and no rail link either. What you say does not clear anything up but gives an indication of the level of your understanding, or more precisely a lack of it, of the magnitude of the technical and economic issues related to what is nothing more than a flight of wild fancy.

KKH is not an all weather route at present. An oil pipeline cannot be shut at will without leaking thousands of barrels between pumping stations directly into the Indus watershed. The entire Hind Kush is an unstable area seismologically. And using tanker trunks for transporting oil is hugely expensive and the capacity offered will not be enough to make it feasible.

 

[krash]

Please read Post #181 above. There is no pipeline "in the pipeline" and no rail link either. What you say does not clear anything up but gives an indication of the level of your understanding, or more precisely a lack of it, of the magnitude of the technical and economic issues related to what is nothing more than a flight of wild fancy.

KKH is not an all weather route at present. An oil pipeline cannot be shut at will without leaking thousands of barrels between pumping stations directly into the Indus watershed. The entire Hind Kush is an unstable area seismologically. And using tanker trunks for transporting oil is hugely expensive and the capacity offered will not be enough to make it feasible.

Have you even read the very first page of this very thread??? Very well...

Had you had enough sense you would have realized that you were reading a report on the general route which did not mention anything about what modes of transportation would be employed in that route. Only tid-bits were given on the first phase which will be the expansion of the road link. Had you further tried to google the subjects you would have found the following out of many links. One is from this very forum.

Oil:

Pakistan to offer China shortest oil route

Pak-China pipeline project: Nawaz to offer China the shortest oil route – The Express Tribune

Rail:

Pak-China rail link to boost tourism

Pak, China rail link to boost tourism in Pakistan

Pak, China rail link to boost tourism in Pakistan

Next, all of the little island of Japan, for example, is a far more active earthquake region than any place in Pakistan (some regions in the US are too). Yet, pipelines are built right across it. Do you know how? Through the magic of technology;

Protecting Pipelines from Earthquakes | University of Utah News
Protecting Pipelines From Catastrophic Effects of Earthquakes | Pipeline & Gas Journal
Geofoam Protects Pipelines From Earthquakes - Power Engineering International

Now there are quite a few safety measures against spills and leakages in pipelines. I mean that's just common sense. We should know, we have some pipeline blown up almost everyday. I won't repeat that you could have googled this yourself again,

eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations
AOPL | Regulations and Standards

And a repetition; almost all of Pakistan is a high-risk earthquake region,

According to you we should have never built any pipelines to Lahore or Islamabad. And imagine the stupidity of the IP gas pipeline.


Lastly, the KKH is indeed an all weather link. I should know, I've been prancing up and down it all my life. The last time I saw snow on the actual road side south of Hunza was in late Jan of 2012, after a period of almost two decades, and it was hardly more than a flurry. The remaining small pockets which do receive snow are cleared away right away. The only rare problem is the Khunjarab Pass which is "officially" closed from start of Jan to end of April, since there isn't enough traffic to keep the roads clear. Mind you even in the closed times the traffic rarely ever stops. And if the traffic should increase, it can be kept open without much problem. Although a pipeline wouldn't mind a closed border. Much more tedious is the job of clearing away landslides which take the road down with them. That is taken care of in about 3 hours, usually, at times a day but that's very rare.

ps: It's ok to not know anything about something. But producing claims out of thin air about something you know nothing about and deliberately ignoring everything else, is a bit juvenile. Don't you think?
I haven't even told you how you can almost completely bypass the Hindukush on your way down or up. Or that you are barely ever in the Hindukush in the first place. But then geography is a boring subject.

 

[VCheng]

Have you even read the very first page of this very thread??? Very well...

Had you had enough sense you would have realized that you were reading a report on the general route which did not mention anything about what modes of transportation would be employed in that route. Only tid-bits were given on the first phase which will be the expansion of the road link. Had you further tried to google the subjects you would have found the following out of many links. One is from this very forum.

Oil:

Pakistan to offer China shortest oil route

Pak-China pipeline project: Nawaz to offer China the shortest oil route – The Express Tribune

Rail:

Pak-China rail link to boost tourism

Pak, China rail link to boost tourism in Pakistan

Pak, China rail link to boost tourism in Pakistan

Next, all of the little island of Japan, for example, is a far more active earthquake region than any place in Pakistan (some regions in the US are too). Yet, pipelines are built right across it. Do you know how? Through the magic of technology;

Protecting Pipelines from Earthquakes | University of Utah News
Protecting Pipelines From Catastrophic Effects of Earthquakes | Pipeline & Gas Journal
Geofoam Protects Pipelines From Earthquakes - Power Engineering International

Now there are quite a few safety measures against spills and leakages in pipelines. I mean that's just common sense. We should know, we have some pipeline blown up almost everyday. I won't repeat that you could have googled this yourself again,

eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations
AOPL | Regulations and Standards

And a repetition; almost all of Pakistan is a high-risk earthquake region,

According to you we should have never built any pipelines to Lahore or Islamabad. And imagine the stupidity of the IP gas pipeline.


Lastly, the KKH is indeed an all weather link. I should know, I've been prancing up and down it all my life. The last time I saw snow on the actual road side south of Hunza was in late Jan of 2012, after a period of almost two decades, and it was hardly more than a flurry. The remaining small pockets which do receive snow are cleared away right away. The only rare problem is the Khunjarab Pass which is "officially" closed from start of Jan to end of April, since there isn't enough traffic to keep the roads clear. Mind you even in the closed times the traffic rarely ever stops. And if the traffic should increase, it can be kept open without much problem. Although a pipeline wouldn't mind a closed border. Much more tedious is the job of clearing away landslides which take the road down with them. That is taken care of in about 3 hours, usually, at times a day but that's very rare.

ps: It's ok to not know anything about something. But producing claims out of thin air about something you know nothing about and deliberately ignoring everything else, is a bit juvenile. Don't you think?
I haven't even told you how you can almost completely bypass the Hindukush on your way down or up. Or that you are barely ever in the Hindukush in the first place. But then geography is a boring subject.

1. Those are all "offers" made by Pakistan. China is not taking the bait.

2. There is a difference between oil and gas pipelines. Gas does not contaminate water resources for any length of time.

3. Making pipelines earthquake proof adds huge costs. Besides, how does all that oil get to Gawadar and then into a non-existent pipeline? Once it is on an oil tanker, it is cheaper to just keep on going all the way on China via ship.

4. "Khunjarab Pass which is "officially" closed from start of Jan to end of April." Hence it is not an all-season road link.

 

[krash]

1. Those are all "offers" made by Pakistan. China is not taking the bait.

2. There is a difference between oil and gas pipelines. Gas does not contaminate water resources for any length of time.

3. Making pipelines earthquake proof adds huge costs. Besides, how does all that oil get to Gawadar and then into a non-existent pipeline? Once it is on an oil tanker, it is cheaper to just keep on going all the way on China via ship.

4. "Khunjarab Pass which is "officially" closed from start of Jan to end of April." Hence it is not an all-season road link.

1) Now what did we talk about making claims out of thin air? The rail link is actually a Chinese proposition and one Chinese company has been very vocally interested in it. The pipeline is a lesser project in size and difficulty, it's been proposed, let's see what happens.

2) Ignoring the many other hazards of leaking natural gas, the example was a loose and funny analogy. Leakages are the first thing any pipeline builder would ever think about, water source near it or not. I gave you two links, please explore them.

3) Firstly, China will be financing it and I doubt they have any problems with the money. Second, all pipelines are built keeping these very elementary dangers in mind. Furthermore, it has to be taken out of the tanker and put into a pipe when it reaches China too. The time and costs are ginormously more for the shipping route, for very obvious reasons. Do you wan't me to find you a link for that too?

4) I've already amply explained this bit before. The 401 too needs serious snow shovelling all season, its no biggy.

 

[VCheng]

1) Now what did we talk about making claims out of thin air. The rail link is actually a Chinese proposition and one Chinese company has been very vocally interested in it. The pipeline is a lesser project in size and difficulty, it's been proposed, let's see what happens.

2) Ignoring the many other hazards of leaking natural gas, the example was a loose and funny analogy. Leakages are the first thing any pipeline builder would ever think about, water source near it or not. I gave you two links, please explore them.

3) Firstly, China will be financing it and I doubt they have any problems with the money. Second, all pipelines are built keeping these very elementary dangers in mind. Furthermore, it has to be taken out of the tanker and put into a pipe when it reaches China too. The time and costs are ginormously more for the shipping route, for very obvious reasons. Do you wan't me to find you a link for that too?

4) I've already amply explained this bit before. The 401 too needs serious snow shovelling all season, its no biggy.

I will agree with waiting to see what happens.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

I will agree with waiting to see what happens.

Thank you and we hope you will keep your mouth closed till than..

 

[VCheng]

Thank you and we hope you will keep your mouth closed till than..

I type with my fingers.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

I type with my fingers.

Figure of speech ... ..

Use your upper portion before typing ..

 

[VCheng]

Figure of speech ... ..

Use your upper portion before typing ..

Well, if you had used the correct word "then" instead of "than" it would have made better sense, as a matter of fact.

 

[Kompromat]

 

[VCheng]

What a nicely made graphic.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

it says it will be completed by 2015

 

[Contrarian]

What a nicely made graphic.

Notice an interesting part.

Even a corridor that is meant to improve Pakistan's economy includes references to 'dominate Afghanistan and contain India'

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.