ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday ordered that 50 percent of all public sector cargo be brought to Pakistan through the deep sea port of Gwadar, the premier’s office said in a statement.
Gwadar port is on the Arabian Sea in the southwestern province of Balochistan. China has invested heavily in the mineral-rich province, including developing Gwadar, despite a decades-long separatist insurgency. The deep-water port is key to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that also encompasses roads and energy projects and is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC), which operationally handles Gwadar, plans to eventually expand the port’s capacity to up to 400 million tons of cargo per year. Long term plans for the port require a total of 100 berths to be developed by 2045. For now, Gwadar is underutilized for commercial import and export due to reasons such as distance from the marketplaces of the country, security and services availability.
“Prime minister’s clear instructions that 50 percent of all public sector cargo for the country by sea should be brought from Gwadar port,” Sharif’s office said in a statement after a review meeting on Chinese investments and a visit by a delegation of Chinese experts from July 30 to August 6.
Pakistan is engaging the experts to increase domestic exports and remove non-trade barriers, the PM’s office said:
“The Chinese delegation met the representatives of various ministries in which the ministries gave suggestions regarding increasing cooperation in related fields. During the delegation’s visit, significant progress was made in terms of cooperation and investment in trade and investment, energy, agriculture, information technology, communication and infrastructure sectors between China and Pakistan.”
The PM’s office said sectoral road shows would be organized in different cities of China to increase exports of Pakistani products, while Islamabad would seek technology transfer and upgradation services from China in electric vehicles, electro-medical devices and other sectors.
Security of Chinese workers has become a major security concern for Beijing since March this year when a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers in the north of the country. Militants have also previously attacked Chinese nations and targeted projects.
Pakistan PM orders routing 50 percent public cargo through Gwadar port
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Pakistan PM orders routing 50 percent public cargo through Gwadar port
- China Overseas Port Holding Company plans to eventually expand port’s capacity to up to 400 million tons of cargo per year
- Gwadar underutilized for import and export due to distance from marketplaces of the country, security and services availability
Police rescue 11 abducted bus passengers after gunbattle in Pakistan’s katcha region
- The passengers were seized when gunmen intercepted a bus traveling on a key highway linking Punjab to Balochistan
- Authorities deployed armored vehicles, surveillance drones as dense fog complicated the rescue operation in the area
KARACHI: Pakistani police on Tuesday rescued 11 bus passengers who were abducted by an organized criminal gang, known locally as katcha dacoits, from near the border separating the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, officials said.
The passengers were seized on Monday night when gunmen intercepted the bus traveling on the Ghotki–Guddu–Kashmore Link Road, a strategic highway in the country’s south. The bus was en route from Sadiqabad in Punjab province to the Balochistan capital, Quetta.
The abduction occurred in the marshy area of Ghotki, a riverine territory known as the katcha region along the Indus River, long regarded as a sanctuary for heavily armed criminal gangs.
“After a police encounter with the bandits, 11 abducted passengers have been recovered,” Ghotki district police chief Anwar Khetran told media.
He added an exchange of fire erupted near Sonmiani village during the large-scale police operation. Two of the rescued passengers sustained injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
It was not known how many passengers were aboard the bus when dacoits abducted it.
Authorities said a heavy police contingent using armored vehicles and surveillance drones was deployed and that the operation would continue until all perpetrators were captured or killed. However, Khetran noted that dense fog was hampering visibility.
The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile abductions targeting travelers in the difficult-to-govern katcha areas of Upper Sindh, particularly in the Ghotki, Kashmore and Shikarpur districts.
Despite periodic crackdowns involving police and paramilitary forces, criminal gangs operating in the rugged terrain have persisted, posing a continuing challenge to law and order.
