23 May 2004	Sunday	03 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

QUETTA, May 22: Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf has said that the local population will not be converted into minority with the development of the Gwadar port project.

Speaking at a meeting held in Gwadar on Saturday, he said that it was a propaganda and should be countered.

He said that the most of the benefit from the project would go to the local people.

Gwadar Development Authority director-general Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri gave a briefing to Mr Yousuf about the project.

He said that it would be a transit port and the officials of companies would reside in the township. The port would not attract a large population to the area as the officials would be residing there on temporary basis, he added. Mr Lehri said that the companies and the federal government would create nearly 7,000 jobs and they would go to the local population.

He said the prime minister had given instructions that local people should be given jobs from grade 1 to grade 15.

He further said that even the companies operating here would prefer to give jobs to the people of the area as they would neither demand residential facilities nor go on long leaves in contrast to the people from other areas of the country.