ISLAMABAD A Senate committee said on Monday that the port of Gwadar should be used for at least one-third of wheat being imported by the country.

The committee on problems of less-developed areas was informed that the government had decided to import 2.5 million tons of wheat and it was hoped that some of it would be ordered through Gwadar. However, a recent tender floated by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan made no mention of the port.

The committee reviewed progress on various projects, with particular reference to making the Gwadar port operational.

Representatives of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping said the government was keen to use the port but it was without a grid station and dredging facilities.

Citing Port Qasim's example, they said the government had to support it for at least 10 years through assured export and import, cargo shipments and Afghan transit trade.

The port's representatives said Gwadar was ready to receive wheat shipments and it would benefit from a decision of the Economic Coordination Committee that the port would get a fair share of wheat import.

The meeting agreed that road and railway projects should be quickly completed and extra resources should be put in place to make the port economically viable.

Chairman of the committee Mir Wali Mohammad Badini criticised what he called the awkward process for releasing development funds for parliamentarians and said that it should be simplified and funds should be directly sent to executing agencies, instead of the DCO.

About a planning and monitoring cell set up in the ministry of local government and rural development, the committee was informed that it would monitor the progress of work on development projects and maintain their database.

The committee was also given a detailed briefing on the Khushal Pakistan Programme, Pilot Project for Model Village Development and other projects.

Besides Senator Mir Badini, the meeting was attended by Senators Mohammad Amjad Abbas, Nawab Mohammad Ayaz Khan Jogezai and Hafiz Rashid Ahmad.

Representatives of the Planning and Development Division; Ministry of Ports and Shipping, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, NHA, Gwadar Port Authority and ministries concerned of Balochistan and Sindh also attended the meeting.