ISLAMABAD, Aug 29 : Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has announced a plan for an international airport in Gwadar and said that till such time the airport is built, the Civil Aviation Authority will upgrade the existing airport for routine flights.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Policy Board on Development of Gwadar Port which was held on Monday at the Prime Minister’s House to review the progress made so far, said an official statement.

Mr Aziz said the government attached high priority to the development of Gwadar Port as it was a vital link in the logistic chain and essential to opening up new vistas of economic cooperation in the region.

The prime minister was informed that names of reputed international consultants had been short-listed for running marketing and other affairs of the port. One of them would be selected and awarded the contract, with necessary terms of reference outlining the whole gamut of operations, by September this year.

The meeting decided to appoint an international port operator. In this connection due diligence is being carried out and a final decision will be made by the end of this year.

The contract for dredging seabed from existing depth of 11.5 meters to 14.5 meters has already been awarded to a Chinese Company. It would help big vessels easily dock. The port will become a regional hub for transit cargo to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

The prime minister directed the Chairman National Highway Authority to accelerate the work on access and link roads. He directed that Gwadar-Quetta-Chamman road should be made truckable by June 2006.

The NHA is fast tracking the construction so as to provide linkage to northern corridor while linkage to Karachi and N-25 already exist via the coastal highway.

The PM expressed satisfaction over the progress made so far and said that momentum of the progress should be maintained to complete the Gwadar Port Project as early as possible.