March 12, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 8, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

QUETTA, March 11: Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Zhang Chunxiang has offered Beijing’s assistance in developing seafood industry, livestock and horticulture in Balochistan.

The envoy was speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour by Syed Faseih Iqbal, president of the Pakistan-China Friendship Association, at Quetta Club on Monday night.

Speaking about the friendship of China and Pakistan, Ambassador Zhang Chunxiang told the gathering amid applause: “Our friendship is stronger than the Himalayas, deeper than oceans and sweeter than honey.”

The ambassador regretted that he could not visit Balochistan earlier, though he took over as envoy some 11 months ago. He promised that he would make frequent visit to Balochistan.

Mr Chunxiang said the would be leaving for Beijing to finalize a scheduled visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the People’s Republic of China sometime later this month. However, Mr Chunxiang said he would visit Quetta in May on a formal inauguration of Saindak Copper and Gold Project.

He said hopefully the president or the prime minister of Pakistan would be inaugurating the project in May.

Balochistan Governor Abdul Quadir on the occasion said completion of the Coastal Highway would synchronize with the construction of Gwadar Deep Seaport well ahead of schedule.

The Chinese, the governor said, were working very hard on the port, and they were expected to complete the work at least six months ahead of schedule.

The stipulated period for the execution of the plan was 40 months.

The governor said he had paid two visits to the site so far and had first hand knowledge about the fast pace of work on Gwadar Port.

Mr Quadir said he had had meetings with the National Highway Authority and FWO officials and instructed them to complete the highway keeping good pace. Otherwise, the governor added, the port would have no ground link with many cities and human settlements.

The governor said he was briefed long ago that with the completion of the port, Pakistan would earn over $3.7 billion a year as royalty.

He also invited Chinese to invest in other fields in the province.

Earlier, Mr Iqbal welcomed both the Chinese ambassador and the provincial governor.

SCHOLARSHIPS: Governor Abdul Quadir has directed the authorities to arrange scholarships for deserving students of the province to enable them study at the Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences (BUIT).

He gave the directives while speaking at a briefing given to him about the BUIT during his visit to the newly established university.

“Those students who are poor and cannot bear expenditure should be granted scholarship,” he said and added that the standard of education should be maintained and every possible step should be taken.

Mr Quadir said that the services of able and experienced teachers should be acquired and opportunities should be provided to the students of far flung areas.

“All admissions of the students and teachers’ recruitment must be on merit,” he ordered. However, he said that students of remote areas should be given opportunities for studying in the BUIT on merit.

Earlier, Vice-Chancellor Dr Mohammed Abbass Chaudhry, while briefing the governor, said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf during his visit to the province in March 2001 had announced its establishment and was inaugurated by former governor Amirul Mulk Mengal in October 2002.