RAWALPINDI, May 27: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday called for adherence to top international standards in realisation of facilities at the Gwadar port.

Speaking at a meeting that reviewed progress on the project, he underlined that timely completion of the port on modern lines would greatly benefit local population and the national economy.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also attended the meeting.

“We must put in place high quality of shipping services and connect the port to the upper parts of the country with an elaborate network of road and railway infrastructure. At the same time we should ensure better allied infrastructure in the form of information technology, housing, hotel and business facilities at the port,” said the president.

He said that countries in the region looked to Pakistan to serve as a trade and energy corridor between Central Asia and South Asia, the Gulf and western parts of China.

He outlined the impact of large-scale economic activity the Gwadar port was to witness and directed the ministry of ports to give maximum jobs to local people.

Gen Musharraf emphasised that local people should be trained to acquire skills necessary for running the port. He hoped that the project would help reduce poverty and open up new avenues of growth for the people of Balochistan.

In his remarks, the prime minister said that the government would encourage the private sector to start business activity at Gwadar and added that a number of incentives were being offered to investors.

He said a modern airport was being built at Gwadar which would attract foreign and local entrepreneurs to make use of investment opportunities in the region.

Shipping and Ports Minister Babar Khan Ghauri informed the meeting that work on realisation of state-of-the-art facilities at the Gwadar port was being carried out on a fast-track basis.

He said several foreign and local investors had shown interest in business opportunities and in development of allied communication infrastructure.—APP