Tag: Gwadar Port

  • CPEC CSR projects, development in Gwadar reviewed

    CPEC CSR projects, development in Gwadar reviewed

    GWADAR: The initiatives in the domain of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) undertaken by China Overseas Ports Holding Company (COPHC) and other Chinese firms in Gwadar are appreciable and are aimed at the right direction, however, effective development communication and positive engagement with local communities is critical for the effectiveness and long-term success of these projects.

    All stakeholders should devise a mechanism for an integrated socio-economic development strategy and ensure inclusion of the hopes and aspiration of the inhabitants of Gwadar vis-à-vis CPEC.

    This was the crux of a two-day media conclave and roundtable conference titled ‘CSR Initiatives in Gwadar (The Gateway to CPEC)’ co-organized by Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad and the University of Gwadar in collaboration with COPHC, Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) and Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) in the strategic port town.

    Speaking on the occasion, Naseer Khan Kashani, chairman, Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) stressed the importance of bringing the locals together through CSR.

     “We must prioritize people over infrastructure development. Drinkable water and electricity is the top priority of the authorities in Gwadar”, he stated.

    Kashani said a desalination plant of about 1.2 million gallons would become operational in six to eight months that would provide drinkable water for the locals.

    Moreover, the newly inaugurated state-of-the-art Pak-China Vocational & Technical Training Institute will provide three years’ training to local youth, which is a big contribution by our Chinese friends, he added.

    “Chinese authorities have also recently provided 3,000 solar panels to the poorest of the poor in Gwadar for the provision of electricity,” he informed.

    While delivering the keynote speech, Zhang Baozhong, Chairman COPHC spoke at length about the experiences of his seven-year stay in Gwadar.

    “We are cognizant of the fact that Gwadar deserves more rapid development to live up to the expectations of the local people. There is no denying the fact that it has developed much during the past seven years”, he remarked.

    He stated three reasons for the promising prospects of Gwadar: the cooperation of the Gwadar people, its vast resources, and its strategic location.

    “The inhabitants of Gwadar deserve respect and development according to their rightful demands”, Mr. Baozhong underscored.

    “We are sending 20 students to China on scholarships every year. We have been running a primary school here for the last five years and soon we will construct a secondary school as well. More than 6000 solar panel units have been distributed among the people of Gwadar so far, and around 500,000 trees have been planted,” Shahzad Sultan, Country Head Marketing of COPHC informed while providing details of the CSR initiatives.

    Chairman IPS Khalid Rahman highlighted the concept of CSR and elements that can improve the lives of the local inhabitants.

    “We must have solution-oriented recommendations, not problem-oriented,” he said adding that positive thinking and improvement in governance will bring a huge change in the life of the people of Gwadar.

    “CSR activities do not mean spending a share of your profit, it’s about creating an environment which is not harmful for the society in any way,” he added.

    Professor Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir, Vice Chancellor, University of Gwadar, in his welcome address earlier appreciated the initiatives of IPS for identifying challenges in the area.

    He said giving back to the society is the biggest responsibility of corporate sector. Working on development of human resources should be the biggest priority of the government and private sector. As Gwadar is expanding after development of the port, it is important to learn from China’s experience and expertise through student exchange program. “We must train our youth to become productive elements of Gwadar.”

    He was of the view that CSR must be defined in local perspective. Local issues could be considered to resolve people’s genuine and basic issues and problems through CSR initiatives.

    He emphasized that engaging local community and civil society could result in better planning, befitting solutions and better implementation with local wisdom and participation.

    Dr. Rashid Aftab, director Riphah Institute of Public Policy (RIPP) commented that reservations of locals must be addressed with evidence-based data sharing with all relevant stakeholders.

    Jawad Akhtar Khokhar, advisor, maritime affairs, Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, earlier gave a detailed overview of the development projects in Gwadar under various modalities and highlighted the CPEC projects in Gwadar worth $2.1 billion so far.

    He said so far three projects worth $314 million have been completed. These projects included Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan, physical infrastructure of Gwadar Port and Free Zone Phase-1, and Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute. Another seven projects worth $1.44 billion are under implementation process. These projects include Eastbay Expressway, which is 98 per cent complete; facilities of fresh water treatment, water supply and distribution, which are 70 per cent complete; New Gwadar International Airport; Pak-China Friendship Hospital Gwadar; infrastructure of Gwadar Free Zone Phase-II; 300 MW coal power plant and 1.2 million gallons’ desalination plant.

    Khokhar said under the short-term strategy the prioritized projects include provision of water in three months and electricity in five months for Gwadar, Trading Corporation of Pakistan has been authorized to import one-third cargoes at Gwadar; and completion of M-8 motorway.

    Highlighting long-term strategy, he said the government is aiming to build LNG and POL terminals at Gwadar port and ensure availability of electricity, water and gas to enable phase-2 expansion of the port.

    Dolat Khan, registrar, University of Gwadar and Arsalan Ali, Head of Investments, Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) also spoke on the occasion.

    It may be mentioned that the media conclave and roundtable conference was attended by a number of senior journalists and academics from Karachi, Islamabad and Gwadar. The delegates also visited China-Pakistan Vocational and Technical Training Institute and other sites under CSR to witness the pace of progress. They interacted with the local students and teachers to observe their views.

  • Prime Minister inaugurates first phase of Gwadar Free Zone

    Prime Minister inaugurates first phase of Gwadar Free Zone

    GWADAR: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday inaugurated the first phase of Gwadar Free Zone besides performing the groundbreaking of its second phase spread over 2,200 acres and also inaugurated three factories.

    Addressing 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 said the future of Pakistan belonged to Gwadar, emerging as the ‘focal point of development’ and ensuring prosperity for the entire country.

    Imran Khan mentioned the recently announced Rs 730 billion development budget for Balochistan by the federal government and said it was “historic”, and was aimed at uplift of the province and at 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 components of the Balochistan package.

    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 its second phase spread over 2,200 acres also inaugurated three factories.

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

    He said the government was focused on ensuring the provision of basic amenities in Gwadar and Balochistan, particularly clean water and electricity to encourage industrialization.

    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 a 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 the 18th Amendment.

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

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

    He also mentioned the technical education provided by China to the youth 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 the Kamyab Jawan Programme, and the up-gradation of the equipment of local fishermen to ensure value addition of 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 deteriorating law and situation in Afghanistan, stressing peace and stability was extremely important for the continuity of development.

    Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan said the provincial government had been collaborating with the CPEC Authority to resolve the issues of customs. He drew attention to the problem regarding the relocation of locals along Eastbay and mentioned that efforts were on for an amicable solution.

    He said the Public Sector Development Programme for the current fiscal year covered the entire Balochistan and mentioned that the extension of Gwadar Hospital up to 200 beds, construction of the first university in Gwadar, border markets and uplift of villages were on the cards.

    Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong said the cooperation between the governments of Pakistan and China had led several projects to see the light of the day. He said over the past eight years, the two countries accelerated their pace on several projects related to civic amenities, particularly clean water and solar plants.

    He said Gwadar was a showcase of the “Chinese solution” for Pakistan’s development.

    By taking a comprehensive way of development, he said, Gwadar Port would turn into a business hub. He said China would continue to extend support for a shared future with Pakistan.

    Chairman CPEC Authority Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa said the Gwadar Free Zone spread over 60 acres had been completed and 46 enterprises had become operational.

    He said now, the groundbreaking of the second phase at the vast 2200 acres starting today would usher in a new era of prosperity in Gwadar and in Balochistan.

    He mentioned that the personal interest of Prime Minister Imran Khan resulted in materialization of trans-shipment policy, Afghan transit policy, the framework signing and execution of border trade with Iran and the start of work at Eastbay Expressway.

    He said several significant development projects were in progress including the Gwadar International Airport and a Vocational Institute to develop skills of the locals.

    Bajwa said conspiracies were on the rise against CPEC, however, the commitment of the government greatly helped thwart such challenges.

    Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Planning Minister Asad Umer, Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal and Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi were present.

    Earlier, the prime minister before landing at the Gwadar Airport took an aerial view of the infrastructure built at the seaport including the Expressway.

    On his arrival at the China Business Centre Hall, he was given a detailed briefing of the South Balochistan Development Package. He also held an interaction with the CPEC Workforce.

    Chairman CPEC Authority and Chinese Ambassador ink Memoranda of Understanding for cooperation on development in Gwadar.

    Moreover, seven regional countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Kenya and Qatar on Monday expressed their commitment for cooperation on the development of Gwadar.

    With their respective ambassadors present at the ceremony attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the regional countries expressed their support for the development of Pakistan’s port city.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on the occasion also witnessed the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding with the government of China for carrying out development projects in Gwadar.

    The accords included the implementation agreement on setting up of 1.2 MGD desalination plant to resolve the shortage of drinking water for the residents of Gwadar.

    Other agreements included China’s grant for solar generators for South Balochistan, and the groundbreaking of North Gwadar Free Zone and Enterprises.

    Also on the occasion, the Chinese investors through video-link from Shanghai showed the ‘Expression of Commitment for Investment’. Those who pledged to invest in Balochistan’s different sectors included Huang Weiguo (textile), Huang Daoyuan (prefabricated technology), Fang Hongyan (agriculture), Shen Jian (wool spinning), David Dia and Chen Yi (dairy processing) and Bao Dequan (textile).

    The factories inaugurated on the occasion included the chemical fertilizer factory, Gwadar Animal Vaccination factory and lubricant factory, besides the opening of Gwadar Fertilizer Plant, Gwadar Animal Vaccine Plant, Henan Agricultural Industrial Park, Hengmei Lubricants Plant, Gwadar Free Zone Phase-2, and Gwadar Expo Centre.

    (Courtesy: Associated Press of Pakistan)

  • Pak-Iran trade to start soon through Gwadar Port: Bajwa

    Pak-Iran trade to start soon through Gwadar Port: Bajwa

    ISLAMABAD: Work for Iran’s trade through the Gwadar Port (in and out) is in progress and the trade will start soon through the port, Chairman China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Lt. Gen. (Retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Monday.

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

    According to state media, the Chairman said after completion of development works of Gwadar Port and first phase of Gwadar Free Zone, Prime Minister Imran Khan was going to perform the ground breaking of second phase of the Zone.

    He said as compared to the first phase which comprised of 60 acres of land, the second phase would be a huge project comprising of 2200 acres of land.

    Chairman Bajwa said around 7 to 8 big Chinese investors from Shanghai would also participate in the ground breaking ceremony where they would make commitments in Gwadar Zone and inform about their future plans in Pakistan.

    He said some 46 enterprises were engaged in the Free Zone phase-I while 12 factories were being established out of them three were completed.

    He informed that the traffic at the port was increasing everyday and last year the trade volume increased by hundreds of times as 60,000 MT of cargo was transported during the year 2020-21 compared to only 1300 MT in the preceding year.

    Besides, he said five LPG vessels were berthed at the Gwadar Port.In future, he said the cargo volume would increase with even higher pace as interest for transshipment and industrialization was increasing with every passing day.

    He said the Prime Minister would also sign an accord for installation of desalination plant in the city with capacity of 1.2 million gallons per day. He said the project would complete within a year and this would be a gift from the Chinese government.

    Furthermore, he said another water desalination plant with capacity of five million gallons per day was also included in the Prime Minister South Balochistan package.

    Provision of basic facilities including electricity, water and health was the prime focus of Prime Minister Imran Khan, he added.

  • Transit trade activity starts at Gwadar Port

    Transit trade activity starts at Gwadar Port

    ISLAMABAD: A first carrier containing 200 tons of fish from international waters arrived at Gwadar. The fish will be shipped to China in reefer containers, said Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Monday.

    According to the FBR statement the arrival of the container at the Gwadar Port will open a new era of prosperity and growth for the people of Baluchistan and the economy of the country.

    This has been made possible under the directions of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to kick start operations at the Gwadar Port.

    Pakistan Customs is all geared up to realize the vision of the Prime Minister Imran Khan for transforming Gwadar into an International Transit trade Hub and facilitate trade through Gwadar Port.

    FBR has already notified International Transshipment Rules vide SRO 218(I)/2020 dated 10.03.2020. A dedicated Directorate of Transit Trade has also been established at Gwadar to work closely with the stakeholders and transform Gwadar into a Transit trade hub.

    As a result of this proactive approach and support of all stakeholders, in the coming days, more vessels containing international cargo including LPG, Steel Pipes, DAP fertilizer for transit to Afghanistan is scheduled to arrive at Gwadar Port.

    This reflects the confidence of the international business community and shipping lines in the economic potential of the Port and excellent trade facilitation measures put in place by Pakistan Customs.

    Gwadar is the future of Pakistan and will help the country in earning much needed foreign exchange in the future.

    During the recent visit of a high level Pakistani delegation to Afghanistan led by Advisor on Commerce, the Afghan businessmen have shown interest in making investment for trade through Gwadar Port.

  • Gwadar Port starts exports operation: Razak Dawood

    Gwadar Port starts exports operation: Razak Dawood

    KARACHI: Gwadar Port has become operational for exports as a vessel loaded with three containers of seafood left for Far Eastern ports, said adviser to prime minister.

    Abdul Razak Dawood, in his tweet on Saturday made this announcement about the exports through Gwadar Port.

    “Gawadar becomes operational for Exports! Seafood export, in reefer containers, using WeBOC system, started on 19 Nov 2019 through COSCO’s KGS service.”

    “The vessel loaded 3 containers of fish for Far Eastern ports.”

    The adviser said that average value of cargo was $50,000/container.

    This would reduce time taken for trading across borders and also reduce port congestion at Karachi.

    Gwadar is Pakistan’s largest infrastructural project since independence.

    After the completion of the first phase of Gwadar port, billions of dollars have been invested in Gwadar and in the next one or two years the investment can cross the figure of trillions.

    China is a major investor in Gwadar, and has spent $248 million in the first phase of Gwadar port, according to official website of Gwadar Port Authority.

  • Gwadar Port ready for Afghan transit trade handling

    Gwadar Port ready for Afghan transit trade handling

    ISLAMABAD: The ministry of commerce has said that Gwadar Port is ready for bulk cargo handling to and from Afghanistan.

    In a notification issued October 15, 2019, the ministry said that the bulk cargoes imported at Gwadar Port for onward transit to Afghanistan will be transported in containers after stuffing/loading the same into containers of international specifications.

    The ministry has informed about the decision to Pakistan Ship Agents Association, Pakistan International Freight Forwarders Association, National Logistic Cell, All Pakistan Shipping Association.