ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday civil war in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of all US troops from the war-torn country later this year would disconnect Pakistan’s Gwadar port from land-locked Central Asian states.
The South Asian nation is promoting the strategic Gwadar port on the shore of the Arabian Sea as a trade and economic hub for the country, and an economic corridor for Central Asian states. The deep sea port is being developed as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $62 billion energy and infrastructure project under construction in Pakistan since 2013.
A vast majority of US troops have left Afghanistan, ahead of the timetable set by President Joe Biden, who had promised they would be home by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the attack that brought them to Afghanistan. The US forces leave as Afghanistan is on the verge of a civil war, a cause of concern for Pakistan, which shares a long, porous border with Afghanistan, hosts millions of Afghan refugees, and faces threats from Pakistani militants — the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group — that have found safe havens in Afghanistan.
“We are talking to [Afghan] Taliban and neighboring countries for a political settlement in Afghanistan,” the prime minister said during a daylong visit to Gwadar. “In case the political settlement is not reached, besides the refugees’ influx, our trading links with the Central Asian states will be disconnected.”
The prime minister inaugurated the North Gwadar Free Zone, Gwadar Expo Center and Henan Agricultural Industrial Park, among other projects, during the visit. He also inaugurated three factories and witnessed the signing of agreements for solarization and desalination plants to resolve Gwadar’s water and electricity shortage problems.
Ambassadors from friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt and Qatar, also participated in events in Gwadar, along with federal ministers and top government functionaries. Some Chinese businessmen addressed the ceremony through video-link, promising to invest in the Gwadar industrial zone.
Khan said Pakistan had started a one window operation to facilitate Chinese and other foreign investors set up export-led industries in the Gwadar free zone.
“Gwadar is becoming a focal point for the whole Pakistan,” the prime minister said. “We are organizing ourselves to provide better service to Chinese investors like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia did.”
Civil war in Afghanistan will disconnect Gwadar port from Central Asia — Pakistani PM
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Civil war in Afghanistan will disconnect Gwadar port from Central Asia — Pakistani PM
- Pakistan is promoting Gwadar port on Arabian Sea as a trade hub for the country and economic corridor for Central Asia
- On daylong visit to Gwadar, PM inaugurates several projects including North Gwadar Free Zone, Gwadar Expo Center, Henan Agricultural Park
Pakistan minister orders measures to ease port congestion, speed up sugar and cement handling
- Meeting in Islamabad reviewed congestion at Port Qasim and its impact on export shipments
- Ports directed to enforce first-come, first-served berthing and penalize unnecessary delays
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday directed authorities to streamline sugar and cement operations at Port Qasim after reports of severe congestion caused by the slow unloading of sugar consignments disrupted export activities.
The government has been working to ease port bottlenecks that have delayed shipments and raised logistics costs for exporters, particularly in the cement and clinker sectors. The initiative is part of a broader effort to improve operational efficiency and align port management with national trade and logistics priorities.
“Improving operational efficiency is vital to prevent port congestion, which can cause delays, raise costs, and disrupt the supply chain,” Chaudhry told a high-level meeting attended by senior officials from the maritime and commerce ministries, port authorities and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan.
The meeting was informed that sugar was being unloaded at a rate below Port Qasim’s potential capacity. The minister instructed the Port Qasim Authority to optimize discharge operations in line with its daily capacity of about 4,000 to 4,500 tons.
Participants also reviewed directives from the Prime Minister’s Office calling for up to 60 percent of sugar imports to be redirected to Gwadar Port to ease the load on Karachi terminals.
Officials said all vessels at Port Qasim and Karachi Port would now be berthed on a first-come, first-served basis, with penalties to be applied for unnecessary delays.
The TCP was told to improve operational planning and coordinate vessel arrivals more closely with port authorities.
Chaudhry commended the engagement of all participants and said consistent adherence to performance standards was essential to sustaining port efficiency and preventing a recurrence of logistical disruptions.
