ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday asked Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to initiate work on Gwadar Safe City project.

PM Shehbaz issued this instruction to Mr Naqvi during a meeting on Balochistan law and order situation.

The Gwadar Safe City project aims to provide a safety and security to the people of Gwadar and to help law-enforcement agencies detect and investigate crimes by collecting evidence.

The delay in the project was highlighted by Senator Quratulain Marri in May this year when she chaired a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives.

Senator Marri had also sought a report on the issue when the Gwadar Development Authority officials blamed lack of funds as the reason for the delay of the project, while the finance division claimed it had received no funding request from the Balochistan government for the project.

On July 11, a representative of the Balochistan government had told a government meeting that 30 per cent of the project is complete and the remaining work is expected to be complete by June 2026.

With the initial plan prepared in 2016, the first phase of the Gwadar Safe City project was approved by the Central Develo­pment Working Party in February 2023 for Rs4.97 billion. Since then the project has faced delays for multiple reasons, including funding issues.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2025