KARACHI: The ongoing cut in the power supply from Iran to Balochistan’s Makran belt has severely affected business activities in Gwadar and the adjacent districts, traders say.
“The constant power cut has distressed trader activities in Gwadar city, where many businesses can’t be run without electricity,” said Ghulam Hussain, a leader of the Anuman-e-Tajiraan-e-Gwadar (Gwadar traders’ association). He added that up to 200 traders had asked to have their power disconnected, which was unheard of.
“Why should we pay, and from where we will pay bills if our businesses are going to be closed,” he said. As if the lack of power was not bad enough, he said the power-supply company was still sending bills demanding thousands of rupees.
On Thursday, the Senate’s Committee on Power was informed that Iran had stopped the transmission of 80 megawatts of electricity to the coastal areas of Pakistan, affecting the supply to the coastal cities of Gwadar, Panjgur and Pasni in Balochistan.
Malik Khurram Shehzad, the information minister of Balochistan, said that the Quetta Electricity Supply Company (QESCO) has reduced the load-shedding duration to eight hours a day.
Wahad Dad, a trader from the Kech area, refuted this claim, saying that there has barely been any electricity in Makran Division since first week of July.
Shehzad, who held a meeting with QESCO bosses about the power situation on Friday afternoon, said the Iranian authorities have given a written assurance that they will restore the power supply by the second week of September.
He also said 80 percent of the issue had been resolved and there was no load shedding of more than eight hours a day, which is normal throuhout Balochistan.
“After getting a complete supply from Iran in second week of next month, there will no load-shedding in Gwadar and other districts of Makran division,” he added.
Last month the traders’ association in Kech district closed their shops in a strike to protest against the prolonged power outage.
Earlier, traders told Arab News of the huge losses they had suffered due to power cuts, with sales falling by up to 90 percent and businesses that require electricity to function forced to shut.
QESCO’s representatie in Gwadar, Hasan Ali Magsi, said that Iran had been providing 100 MW of power to the Gwadar, Ketch and Panjgur districts of Makran Division. However, on July 3 the supply was cut to 12 hours a day, and decreased further to five hours two days later. The supplyhas risen to 12 hours again, Magsi said. This is disputed by residents, however, who say they only have power for two to three hours at night.
“We are told that Iran’s production has decreased by 1,000 MW due to a technical fault, which has impacted its power supply to Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balochistan province of Pakistan,” Magsi said, adding that the supply might remain disturbed for a further two weeks. In a previous interview, Shehzad had said that the crisis would be resolved by July 20.
Iran has been supplying electricity the Gwadar, Ketch and Panjgur districts of Makran Division since 1999. It supplied 35 MW daily until 2013, when it increased it to 100 megawatts for use in Gwadar, which will become an international business hub as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.
Power cut by Iran affects businesses in Gwadar, other coastal districts of Balochistan
Power cut by Iran affects businesses in Gwadar, other coastal districts of Balochistan
- Balochistan government said up to 80 percent of electricity has been restored and that Iranian authorities have promised full restoration by second week of September
- Traders and residents complain of being charged thousands of rupees when they’ve not been able to use power for more than a month
Pakistan plans $80 million seafood zone at Karachi harbor to target Gulf markets
- Plan aims to move exports away from raw seafood toward higher-value processed products
- Project will be developed under public-private partnership or build-operate-transfer model
KARACHI: Pakistan plans to develop a seafood processing and export zone at Karachi’s Qur’angi Fisheries Harbor that could cost up to $80 million to boost value-added exports and position the country as a supplier to the Gulf and other regional markets, Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said on Saturday.
The proposed 100-acre project aims to shift Pakistan away from exporting raw seafood by building modern processing, cold-chain and packaging infrastructure linked to international buyers, as Islamabad looks to expand its blue economy and deepen maritime trade ties with the region.
In a statement, Chaudhry said the zone would be developed, financed and operated under a public-private partnership or build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with private investors running the facilities and the Qur’angi Fisheries Harbor Authority retaining regulatory oversight.
“The estimated project cost ranges between $60 million and $80 million, based on regional benchmarks from countries such as Vietnam, China and Ecuador, which have developed similar seafood parks,” Chaudhry said.
He said the facility would include 20 to 25 medium- to large-scale seafood processing units for fish, shrimp and cephalopods, alongside large-scale cold storage, blast freezing, packaging facilities, logistics and export terminals, and a wastewater treatment plant to ensure environmentally compliant operations.
“Packaging and labeling units would operate under international food safety and quality standards, including HACCP and ISO certifications, offering vacuum packing, modified atmosphere packaging and retail-ready solutions,” he said, referring to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a preventive food safety system.
ISO certification verifies that a company’s management systems meet international standards.
The minister said the zone would be used exclusively for commercial seafood processing, packaging, cold storage and export-oriented activities, with multi-temperature storage ranging from minus 18 to minus 40 degrees Celsius and ice plants capable of producing 50 to 100 tons daily.
Chaudhry said the preferred investment structure is a BOT concession under which the private partner would finance, develop and operate the project for an expected 20-year tenure, with ownership reverting to the harbor authority at the end of the concession period.
He added that the estimated internal rate of return was projected between 13 percent and 17 percent, with revenue generated through lease rentals, processing fees, logistics services and export-linked earnings.
“The project will position Pakistan as a key maritime trade and seafood export hub serving Gulf, East African and Asian markets,” Chaudhry said.
