BEIJING: China has not asked for military access to Pakistan’s Chinese-funded, deep-water port of Gwadar, a senior Pakistani rear admiral said on Friday, amid persistent speculation in India and the United States it could become a Chinese naval base.
Gwadar, in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, is the crown jewel of China’s $60 billion investment in Belt and Road Initiative projects in Pakistan.
The plan is to turn Gwadar into a trans-shipment hub and mega-port to be built alongside special economic zones from which export-focused industries will ship goods worldwide. A web of energy pipelines, roads and rail links will connect Gwadar to China’s western regions.
Last year the Pentagon singled out Pakistan as a possible location for a future Chinese military base, though China has said that is pure speculation. Diplomatic and security sources see Gwadar as the likely location.
Speaking at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, which China styles as its answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Rear Admiral Javaid Iqbal, Navy Secretary of the Pakistan Navy, said Gwadar is a “significant addition to the regional maritime landscape.”
“Let me emphasize that the Gwadar port is purely a commercial venture and has no military overtones,” he told the forum.
“Suitably located outside the potentially risky and confined waters of the Gulf, Gwadar has the potential to act not only as a transit port for China and Central Asia but also a trans-shipment port impacting the prosperity of the entire region,” Iqbal added.
Speaking later to Reuters, he said he was very specific about the non-military nature of the port.
“The Gwadar port has no military dimension. It will be just a commercial port,” Iqbal said. “The Pakistan navy will maintain a presence to ensure maritime security, to ensure the security of the port.”
“The geopolitical debate that somehow goes on in the media about Gwadar being used as a foreign military base is not correct at all.”
Asked whether China had specifically asked for military access, he answered: “No, not at all.”
China opened its first overseas military base, which it formally calls a logistics facility, in the Horn of Africa country Djibouti last year.
Djibouti’s position on the northwestern edge of the Indian Ocean has fueled worries in India that it would become another of China’s “string of pearls” of military alliances and assets ringing India, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
China has repeatedly downplayed expectations it could be about to embark on a plan to build military bases around the world, even as it ramps up an impressive military modernization program.
China not asked for military access to Gwadar, Pakistan admiral says
China not asked for military access to Gwadar, Pakistan admiral says
- Gwadar, in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, is the crown jewel of China’s $60 billion investment in Belt and Road Initiative projects in Pakistan
- “The Gwadar port is purely a commercial venture and has no military overtones,” admiral Javaid Iqbal, Navy Secretary of the Pakistan Navy told a forum in Singapore
Pakistan raises fuel prices by Rs55 per liter as Middle East conflict drives oil surge
- Government says adequate fuel stocks in place despite global energy shock
- Oil prices jump from about $78 to over $106 per barrel amid regional conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday increased petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 ($0.20) per liter each as escalating conflict in the Middle East sent global oil prices sharply higher and disrupted energy supply routes, officials said.
Global oil markets have been rattled since coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran began last week, triggering retaliatory attacks across the region, raising fears of disruption to key energy shipping routes and pushing petroleum prices sharply upward.
The price adjustment in Pakistan was announced after a joint press conference by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, who said the government was monitoring international energy markets and domestic supply conditions amid the crisis.
“So, the decision we have made by changing the levy a little bit is that we are going ahead with increasing the price of both fuels, petrol and diesel, by Rs55 ($0.20),” Malik told reporters.
“And as soon as this matter settles, we will revise the prices downward with the same speed and take steps on how to increase people’s income and purchasing power.”
He said Pakistan entered the crisis with “comfortable energy reserves” due to earlier planning but rising global prices had forced the government to adjust domestic fuel rates to maintain supply continuity.
He said international petrol prices had climbed from roughly $78 per barrel on March 1 to around $106.8 per barrel, while diesel prices had risen to about $150 per barrel.
Malik added that the government had taken steps to minimize the burden on consumers, noting diesel plays a critical role in agriculture, transportation and public mobility.
Malik also warned that authorities would take strict action against anyone attempting to hoard fuel or manipulate supply for profiteering.
The minister said Pakistan was working with international partners to secure additional energy supplies, including arrangements with Saudi Aramco and the use of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation vessels to transport crude oil imports.
Finance Minister Aurangzeb said a high-level government committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had been meeting daily to review developments in global petroleum markets and their potential impact on Pakistan’s economy.
“Pakistan currently maintains adequate energy stocks and macroeconomic stability,” Aurangzeb said, adding that the government’s response was based on preparedness rather than panic.
He said the committee, which includes senior ministers, the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and other officials, was assessing short-, medium- and long-term implications of the crisis for inflation, foreign exchange reserves and broader economic indicators.
Deputy PM Dar said the regional conflict had significantly disrupted global energy markets, with international petroleum prices rising by as much as 50–70 percent in recent days.
The deputy prime minister added that Pakistan was also engaged in diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions and restoring stability in the region.
Petroleum prices will now be reviewed more frequently, potentially on a weekly basis, and any reduction in global oil prices would be passed on to consumers.
Pakistan, which relies heavily on imported fuel to meet its energy needs, is particularly vulnerable to global oil price shocks that can quickly feed into inflation and pressure the country’s external accounts.
