GWADAR: Federal Mi­­nister for Maritime Affa­irs Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh has said that Gwadar will play a key role in the economic development not only of Balochistan but also Pakistan in the near future, improving the sta­ndard of living of the people of coastal areas of Makran.

Mr Sheikh, who arrived in Gwadar on a three-day visit, expressed these views while attending an important meeting, in which development projects and future planning for the development of Gwadar were discussed and some important decisions were made.

He showed great interest in Gwadar and its rela­ted mega-projects, stating the federal government is taking all possible steps to resolve the issues faced by the coastal district.

He directed that immediate steps shou­­ld be taken to resolve the complaints of local fishermen related to the trawler mafia so that the poor and local fishermen associated with this profession could be treated fairly.

Inaugurates Free Zone Agriculture Industrial Park

During his stay, Mr Sheikh inaugurated the Free Zone Agriculture In­­dustrial Park in Gwadar on Saturday in a ceremony held at the China Business Centre. Chairman Gwa­dar Port Authority Pasand Khan Buledi and Chair­man China Overseas Port Holding Company also attended the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that he had come to Gwadar on the spe­­cial instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to inspect the mega-projects of Gwadar and speed up the work of projects under completion.

He said that many impo­rtant projects for Gwadar have been completed, including 100MW of electricity from Iran, dams, desalination plants, roads, and hospitals.

Mr Sheikh stated that the federal and provincial governments are keen to complete the ongoing projects of Gwadar as soon as possible with the support of China. A desalination plant has been installed in the free zone, which will provide 1.2m gallons of water to citizens per day.

The remaining task is to connect the desalination plant to the city, which will be done soon.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024