CPEC updates at Gwadar

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PM prioritizing Gwadar: CPEC Authority Chairman Bajwa
July 4, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The construction of a road network under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project would help address decades-old grievances of the people of Balochistan and create economic opportunities for the rural population in the province, CPEC Authority chairman retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Saturday.

Talking to the media during a visit to Hoshab-Awaran road, which is being built under CPEC, he said that development of roads in Balochistan was a priority of the government to improve Gwadar port’s connectivity with other parts of the country.

Over 70pc work on Baseema-Khuzdar road completed

Over 70 per cent development work on the Baseema-Khuzdar road has been completed, he said. The project is of significance as it would connect the Gwadar port with the rest of the country and would be completed by the end of current year.

Prime Minister Imran Khan would soon visit Gwadar and witness the progress made on different projects started in the second phase of CPEC, Mr Bajwa said. Development of Gwadar port was a top priority of the PM, he added.

The CPEC Authority chairman said the government was working aggressively to address the issues of the people in Balochistan by ensuring basic civic amenities including education, health, drinking water, electricity and communications.

In order to uplift the under-developed areas of Balochistan, the government under the special directives of Mr Khan had announced a Rs600 billion package comprising different schemes in collaboration with the federal and provincial governments as well as the public-private partnership model. Currently work on 80 schemes was in progress.

He said in order to electrify the remote areas of the province, work on a 150MW project in Gwadar was also in progress. Work on different projects related to clean drinking water was also in progress, he added.

“Over 31 dams would be constructed in nine under-developed districts of Balochistan. Construction work on 15 dams has already started while work on the remaining 16 would begin soon,” he added.

The CPEC Authority’s chairman said that work on Gwadar Airport was under way. The airport would have the capacity for landing of big cargo aircraft and would be equipped with the latest communication techniques for fastest port operation.

“Gwadar port will bring economic revolution and social prosperity in the province. Remote regions would be developed for bringing them at a par with other developed areas of the country,” he added.

 

[ghazi52]

PM to lay foundation of second phase of Gwadar port
PM Imran Khan to lay foundation stone for second phase

SAMAA | TV -
Jul 5, 2021

Gwadar port is finally ready and completely operation after various successes over 15 years, declared the head of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Asim Saleem Bajwa, on Monday.

“It is completely operational,” he said. “Alongside this, on 60 acres the phase I of a free zone is also completed and about 46 enterprises have started business.”

Bajwa welcomed foreign dignitaries on behalf of the China Port Holding, Gwadar Port Authority and CPEC. Prime Minister Imran Khan will be laying the foundation stone for the second phase of projects spread over 2,200 acres. This includes an expo centre, three factories, agricultural-industrial park.

Bajwa dwelt on some of the difficulties faced in reaching this point and how, as he put it, the personal interest from the prime minister had paved the way for work to happen. From 2007 to 2020, for example, over thirteen years, Gwadar port’s free zone policy could not be issued. Connecting Gwadar to the north of Pakistan sped up under this government, he added. A trans-shipment policy was made, Afghan Transit Trade actually began LPG and LNG licenses were issued and a border management and trade framework was signed and executed with Iran. In order to spare the city heavy traffic, an east bay expressway construction was started.
Gwadar city’s master plan has been approved and is being implemented. The city will have a 100-bed hospital, an international airport and a vocational institute.

The people here spoke of their need for water, connectivity, jobs and power and they feel that the South Balochistan package will solved these issues, Bajwa added.
He thanked Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong for his assistance. Chinese businessmen and media personalities joined the event via video link and spoke of their experience.
Zubaida Jalal, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Planning Minister Asad Umar, National Security Advisor Moeed Yousuf and attended the event.

China Ministry for Foreign Affairs Faraz Zaidi announced the names of the foreign dignitaries who had come to offer their support. They were from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kenya, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar.

The Chinese government and Pakistan signed two MoUs — one for a 1.2 million gallons a day desalination plant worth $13 million for Gwadar and a second one for 3,000 solar systems as part of the southern Balochistan package. Six projects will also be started (for chemical fertilizer, animal vaccinations and lubricants among others) at a total investment of $1.6 billion.

Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong thanked the local people in particular for their endeavours. “Both China and Pakistan have worked hand in hand,” he said. “We completed a series of socio-economic and livelihood projects.” China and Pakistan have formulated the Gwadar master plan. Port operations is reviving with newly added eqipment such as loading and unloading machines and cranes. Eight infrastructure projects such as an airport and expressway were started. Over eight years Pakistan and China have accelerated the developement of the free zone. The first phase of the free zone has brought together more than 40 companies with a total direct investment of RMB3 billion.​

 

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https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=505243910785102

 

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PM Imran says he is considering 'talking to insurgents' in Balochistan

Dawn.com

Published July 5, 2021

Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses a ceremony in Gwadar. — DawnNewsTV


Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday shared that he is considering "talking to insurgents" in Balochistan, saying that the government would never have had to worry about insurgency in the province if attention had been paid to its development.

He made the comments while addressing a ceremony in Gwadar during a one-day visit to the city. The premier said that he had always thought that when the PTI came to power, the government would pay attention to Balochistan because when the province progressed and there was peace, Balochistan's people would "understand that Balochistan is also ours and we should also fight for it because it thinks of our basic needs and problems".

He said that if development work had been carried out in the province, "we would never have had to worry about insurgents."

"It may be that they had grievances in the old times and may have been used by other countries ... India may have used them to spread chaos but the situation [now] is not the same," he added.

The prime minister said that even though the economic situation of the country was better, it was still not good enough that the government could give "so much money" to Balochistan from the funds allocated for federal public sector development projects (PSDP).

"But we have given the biggest package to Balochistan because we believe that justice has indeed not been done with the people of Balochistan; they have been left behind."

 

[ghazi52]

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday performed the groundbreaking of phase two of the Gwadar Free Zone (GFZ) and launched a number of other development and infrastructure projects including an expo centre, agriculture industrial park and three factories.

During a single-day visit to Gwadar, the premier also inaugurated phase one of the GFZ, reviewed the progress on various development projects, and witnessed the signing of a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs).

He was given a detailed briefing on the progress of the south Balochistan development package in line with the government’s efforts of focusing on the province.

Projects unveiled:

• Gwadar Fertiliser Plant
• Gwadar Animal Vaccine Plant
• Henan Agricultural Industrial Park
• Hengmei Lubricants Plant
• Gwadar Free Zone Phase Two
• Gwadar Expo Centre

MoUs signed:

• Implementation agreement of 1.2 million gallons per day desalination plant
• Solar generators grant from China for south Balochistan

On the occasion, agreements were signed on solarisation and a desalination plant to solve the problems of Gwadar related to water and electricity.

In his address at the launching ceremony for the projects, the prime minister lamented that many areas in Pakistan including Balochistan had been left behind in development. He said development plans for Gwadar had been made for some time but the lack of any real implementation was due to common issues such as supply of water, electricity and gas, and connectivity with other areas.




"But in the time we are now seeing ahead, Gwadar is going to become a focal point from which all of Pakistan and especially Balochistan which was left behind [in development] will benefit," he added.

He said the "future of Gwadar" was being witnessed through the water and energy projects underway as well as the new international airport being constructed there which would connect Gwadar to other areas.

"I reiterate that any country can't meaningfully develop unless it has inclusive development and all areas develop," the premier said, adding that the government's biggest effort now was to develop neglected areas such as former Fata, Balochistan, northern areas and western districts of Punjab.

For Gwadar specifically, the prime minister announced a number of initiatives to promote human development such as a technical college, a hospital, university, cheap loans for farmers and poor households and a programme for uplifting of Gwadar's fishermen.

Prime Minister Imran said the government was also preparing to better facilitate and service investors through a one-window operation so they would be encouraged to come to free zones and set up plants and industries which could contribute to exports.

The increased exports would lead to wealth creation, correction of macroeconomic imbalance and job opportunities once demand for technical staff and trained labour increases, he added.

The premier said he wanted to see increased coordination between the federal and provincial governments to pull off the above steps to create a better atmosphere for investors.

He thanked China in particular and said Pakistan stood to benefit from its relations with the country. “Pakistan can benefit from its strategic location and also from the expertise of its friend China, which is becoming an economic power in the region,” he said.

Imran further said his office would directly and regularly monitor all progress on development projects in Gwadar on a monthly basis.

Speaking about the security situation, the prime minister said peace in Afghanistan remained a major concern and that the result of any violence or civil war would be felt on Gwadar's trade with Central Asian states. He said the his government was involved in efforts and had talked to Iran as well to bring the opposing parties in the Afghan conflict towards a political settlement.

Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar earlier said the free zone inaugurated by the prime minister in Gwadar's north was "35 times bigger than the phase 1 industrial zone of Gwadar".

"This reflects growing interest of Chinese and other investors in Gwadar free zone," he tweeted.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani also addressed the event, saying despite misconceptions that "we don't address the basic issues of Gwadar's people," a lot of work had been done by the government.

He cited initiatives such as the Eastbay Expressway, a 180-kilometre water pipeline which would connect multiple dams, a desalination plant, extension of the Gwadar hospital and efforts to bring a university to Gwadar. The chief minister added that aside from the mega projects, a lot was being done to address the needs of the people and local communities.

 

[ghazi52]

'Iran trade through Gwadar Port to start soon'

Meanwhile, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Asim Saleem Bajwa said that work for Iran's trade through the Gwadar Port was in progress and the trade would start soon.

“The Ramadan-Gabd crossing point near Gwadar is active and fully functional now, fencing work on the Pakistan-Iran border is going on rapidly and new border markets are being established at the crossing points,” he said in a video message, adding that smuggling to and from Iran was decreasing due to a rise in regulated trade.

Bajwa said as compared to the first phase of the Gwadar Free Zone, which comprised 60 acres of land, the second phase would be a huge project comprising 2,200 acres.

He said some 46 enterprises were engaged in phase-I of the free zone, while 12 new factories were being set up out of which three had been completed.

The CPEC Authority chairman stated that traffic at the port was increasing everyday and last year the trade volume increased by "hundreds of times" as 60,000 metric tonnes of cargo was transported during the year 2020-21 compared to only 1,300 metric tonnes in the preceding year.

Besides, he said, five LPG vessels were berthed at the Gwadar Port.

Bajwa added that cargo volume would increase at an even higher pace in the future as interest for transshipment and industrialisation was increasing with every passing day.

He further said the installation of a desalination plant in Gwadar with a capacity of 1.2 million gallons per day would be completed within a year and this would be "a gift from the Chinese government".

He noted that another desalination plant with a capacity of 5m gallons per day was included in the prime minister's south Balochistan package.

Provision of basic facilities including electricity, water and health is the prime focus of Prime Minister Imran, Bajwa added.

 

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Gwadar to emerge as ‘focal point of development’: PM

The Frontier Post

GWADAR (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said the future belonged to Gwadar since it would emerge as the ‘focal point of development’, ensuring prosperity of the entire country.

Addressing at the launch of development projects and the signing ceremony of Memoranda of Understanding here in the port city, the prime minister said Gwadar would open up new avenues of opportunities for regional trade.

The prime minister who arrived in Gwadar on a day-long visit inaugurated the first phase of Gwadar Free Zone besides performing the groundbreaking of the its second phase spread at 2,200 acres and opening of three factories.

The prime minister said his vision of an emerging Pakistan was a steadfast nation which was committed to the prosperity of the country.

He said the government was focused on ensuring provision of basic amenities including clean water and electricity to encourage industrialization.

He said the recently announced Rs 730 billion development budget by the federal government for Balochistan was historic, that aimed at uplifting the province and mitigating the longstanding deprivation of its people.

“No country can progress unless it mainstreams all its areas and ensure development across the board,” he said, adding that connectivity was one of the major component of the Balochistan package.

Imran Khan said the government was prioritizing development in far-flung areas of Balochistan, northern areas and rural Punjab.

The prime minister mentioned that Gwadar International Airport would encourage regional trade and boost economic activity. He said one-window operation was in progress to facilitate the investors and urged upon the provincial governments to ensure proper servicing of investors since the subject moved to them after the passage of 18the Amendment.

Imran Khan thanked the government of China for launching water and solar projects in Balochsitan, particularly Gwadar.

“Pakistan can benefit from its strategic location and also from the expertise of its friend China which is becoming an economic power in the region,” he said.

He also mentioned the technical education provided by China to the locals of Gwadar, which he said, would prove greatly helpful as the foreign investment grew in future.

The prime minister mentioned several initiatives for the uplift of Gwadar including the university, employment under Kamyab Jawan Programme, and the upgradation of the equipment of local fishermen to ensure value addition to their catch.

He said the Prime Minister Office would regularly monitor the progress on the development plans initiated in Gwadar on a monthly basis.

The prime minister said regional countries had expressed interest in reaping the benefits offered by the Gwadar port.

In this scenario, he expressed concern over the law and order situation in Afghanistan, which he said, was extremely important for the continuity of development.

 

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"North Free Zone is an industrial zone 35 times larger than the first zone of Gwadar"
Federal Minister for Planning Asad Omar.

 

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1412429418707013632

 

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https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=772982190052405

 

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Development of Gwadar

Gwadar Port Completed
Gwadar Free Zone Phase-1 Completed 60 Acres

●Ground Breaking of Gwadar Phase-2 by PMIK Today

2200 Acres Free Zone
MOUs for Gwadar City
1.2M Gallon Desalination plant
Solar Projects
300 MW Coal Power Project

 

[CIA Mole]

 

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Pakistan launching Sun Salt project worth $750m in Gwadar Balochistan.

All Pakistan Salt Association (APSA) informed this during a meeting with an advisor to Prime Minister on commerce Razak Dawood.

The association has requested the advisor to withdraw the sales tax the government had imposed in the current budget 2021-22.

President association said that they are launching a huge project in Gawadar for making Sun Salt for industrial usage. The project size is around 750 Million US $ and it will be completed in phases, the first phase will be completed in two-year times.

After the start of the first phase around 400-500 Million, US $ exports will increase from that project. Another senior member also shared his proposed project of Soda Ash in Khushab. He said that if that project is initiated successfully then a sizable number of locals will be employed and exports will also increase.