The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 44 Special Security Division held a meeting with the local elders, political elites, administration officers, religious leaders and representatives of the fishing community of Gwadar. Describing the importance and role of local leadership in the development of Gwadar, the GOC said Gwadar had more potential than any other region of Pakistan, according to the Inter Services Public Relations on Friday. The GOC also highlighted the very important role of women in the development journey of Makran. He stressed the need to address the fishermen’s issues on priority. “A large community in the area is directly linked to the trade in petroleum products,” he said, adding there was no alternative and better means to benefit the local people. The GOC said innovative thinking was required needed to solve water and energy problems in Gwadar and Lasbela districts. He further said the army and the people were pearls of the same necklace . The purpose of the army’s presence in the region was to support the development and prosperity, and sustainable peace and stability there. “In order to achieve the same goal, apart from the efforts of the army to speed up the ongoing development projects in Gwadar, a number of welfare and development works will be completed in the next few months at a cost of Rs 300 million, including scholarships for students.” He noted that renovation of halls, provision of infrastructure and other basic needs of several schools, solarization in remote areas and provision of sports facilities were also part of the measures taken for the local people.