KARACHI: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi inaugurated the initial phase of the country’s $1.4 billion first high-tech deep-water container terminal on Friday.
Hutchison Ports Pakistan is a public-private partnership of Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports Holdings. The terminal is one of the most advanced in the region, having broken its own productivity record four times and serviced some of the largest container ships in the world since test operations began on December 9, 2016. Its high performance is expected to raise Pakistan’s global trade competitiveness and set a strong foundation for further economic growth.
“The state-of-the-art new container terminal at KPT will be a key component to become part of the overall CPEC system, assisting and facilitating CPEC development in Pakistan, which the government of both Pakistan and China are pursuing so vigorously,” Abbasi said. “The CPEC is the initiative of BRI, which is the project of not only regional but global connectivity.”
As the incumbent government of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) is about to complete its five-year tenure, the prime minister highlighted the achievements of his government, claiming that it had undertaken major development projects that had not been done in the past 65 years.
“Turning the economy around, overcoming the energy crisis, combating extremism and terrorism and huge investment in human development sectors have remained our key priorities since the very first day of our government,” Abbasi said. “Our economic rebound is particularly remarkable because we achieved it while aggressively fighting terrorism throughout Pakistan, for which we had to allocate resources to our law enforcement agencies.”
He said that many projects in the energy sector were in the pipeline, including four LNG terminals, four power plants of 600 MW and a desalination plant of more than 50 million gallons. “I am confident that the new government after the elections will be more than willing to play its part to make it a success story,” Abbasi said.
Andy Tsoi, managing director of Hutchison Ports, Middle East Africa, said the port was being operated at international standards and applied the highest level of expertise to port operations. “The project is a glowing example of public-private partnership and the Pak- China friendship that will augment the economic environment of Pakistan while revitalizing the ports and shipping industry and strengthen the relationship between both countries,” Tsoi said.
Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, minister for maritime affairs, said that 97 percent of Pakistan’s international trade was handled through seaports and the ministry was committed to integrating the country’s ports. “Hutchison Port Pakistan project is an example of the successes of a public-private partnership in which KPT has invested around $800 million and Hutchison Port Holdings will be investing over $600 million,” Bizenjo said.
He announced the start of cruise line services from Karachi port to Chahbahar port via Gwadar port, connecting Oman and Dubai as well. “The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation has completed formalities and is in the process of buying three vessels. Soon foreign and local vessels will be registered in Pakistan like in Panama,” he said.
Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar, KPT chairman, said that driven by economies of scale, vessels around the world had grown enormously in size, thus many ports needed to provide berths with 16-18 meter depths to facilitate these ships. “KPT realized that to compete at the global level we have to update our facilities and increase the channels depths and widths,” he said.
Hutchison Ports Pakistan is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to facilitate seamless operations, including eight remote-controlled quay cranes, 26 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, control tower coordination, CCTV and trunked radio systems. The terminal is also equipped with Hutchison Ports’ terminal operating system nGen, which controls yard and quay operations and is on a par with the world’s most efficient container terminals.
The terminal will launch a new regional operations center in December 2018, allowing it to engage in remote-ship planning for ports in other markets that are part of the Hutchison Ports network. The facility’s technological advantages significantly reduce cycle times and provide substantial cost savings to exporters and importers.
Pakistan prime minister inaugurates first deep-water container terminal
Pakistan prime minister inaugurates first deep-water container terminal
- $1.4 billion public-private partnership project
- Terminal can handle PANAMAX vessels
In West Bengal, community iftars offer space for inclusivity, solidarity
- Know Your Neighbor initiative for Muslims, Hindus and Christians started in Kolkata in 2017
- This year’s iftars promote women, social workers and grassroots activists from various groups
NEW DELHI: During Ramadan, a special iftar initiative in India’s West Bengal brings together different groups from the state’s diverse society to build mutual trust and strengthen neighborly bonds.
Islam has been present in Bengal since the 13th century. Muslims, who make up nearly a third of the state’s population of 100 million people, have for centuries made significant contributions to Bengali socio-linguistic identity and culture.a
But for the past decade their heritage in the state has been undermined, accompanied by tensions and riots ignited by the rise of majoritarian Hindu right-wing narratives across India.
To address the situation, a group of Bengali Muslims and Hindus started the Know Your Neighbor initiative in 2017. During the fasting month, among the events they organize is “Dosti ki Iftar,” or “Iftar of Friendship,” which brings together representatives of the region’s various religious and social groups.
This year, for the first time, one such iftar was held specifically for women, with the aim of creating a safe and open space to exchange views, address stereotypes and foster female-led unity.
“Women from many sections of the society are more marginalized than others ... Among us are Hindus, Muslims, Christians as well,” Tody Mazumdar, sociology student and Know Your Neighbor member, told Arab News.
“We want to oppose the current narrative, or the current propaganda, that is being spread so rapidly about Bengal having only one identity. We want to give a clear message that we are a diverse cultural and religious group known as Bengalis, and we all stay together, and we all eat together.”
The event, hosting a few dozen women from different religious and caste groups, was co-organized by students at Deeniyat Muallima College in Santragachi in the metropolitan area of Kolkata.
Among them was Shruti Ghosh, a dancer and theatre artist, for whom being a part of the iftar was a way of building resilience against divisive politics and policies.
“Iftar, of course, is a part of Ramadan ... but it’s also about sharing food. And food is very important in terms of cultural preservation, in terms of expressing your identity, asserting your identity. Moreover, food is something we enjoy. We sit with food, talk, exchange ideas, and share memories. So much happens over food,” she said.
“That is very important for me ... to come together, particularly in these trying times, where we have so much violence and intolerance being unleashed, and hatred being generated in society.”
This week, another iftar will be hosted in a historical setting at the Basri Shah Masjid, the oldest mosque of Kolkata, and next week another will gather grassroots activists working in different sectors of civil society.
Sabir Ahamed, the founder of Know Your Neighbor, hopes it will help make the social groups they represent engage more and better.
“We are bringing the experience of iftar to them to bridge the gap between different communities,” he said. “We are planning more iftars at different locations to promote harmony and coexistence.”
They are also sending a message.
“It’s like a neighbor-to-neighbor call, and we can stay together and talk with each other freely, without any judgment or without any social boundaries. Ramadan means sharing and caring, so we spread our love towards everyone. We can sit together as Indians, as humans,” Siddiqa Tabassum, director of Deeniyat Muallima College, told Arab News.
“It’s a little step, but small steps can do miracles.”
