Daily Times

Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal said that Gwadar will become an internationally acclaimed world-class port city, which will have tremendous opportunities for its people.

“We hope that Gwadar will become an internationally acclaimed world-class port city, which will have tremendous opportunities for its people,” he told Xinhua while applauding the development of Gwadar Port under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Terming Gwadar as a very important and strategic port in this region, he said that China has shown its remarkable contribution and the development of different regions of Pakistan including Gwadar under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. “In Gwadar, we have seen that China has not only developed the port facility but also has contributed towards socio economic development of the people,” he added.

Ahsan Iqbal said that China has set up a state of the art modern hospital for the people of Gwadar who have as good facilities in that hospital as big cities like Karachi or Lahore. Similarly, it has helped set up a technical training institution. It has also helped poor people with solar panels to provide them electricity and has also undertaken other initiatives to improve the lives of the local people. “So, we really appreciate that China has contributed immensely to the uplift of Gwadar, but it is just the first steps go other port has a long way to go,” he added.

He remarked that in partnership with the Gwadar and in partnership with China, we hope that Gwadar will become an internationally acclaimed world class port city, which will have tremendous opportunities for its people. Ahsan Iqbal pointed out that China has also given scholarships for the youth of Gwadar who are studying in Chinese universities. “So, I think China’s contribution and Gwadar has been very valuable and uplifting the lives of people and region and we appreciate very much. The minister also appreciated that China is sharing its success, not just with Pakistan, but with other countries also, to help them improve their infrastructure to help them improve their socio-economic development.

Launched in 2013, the CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan’s Balochistan province with Kashgar in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while the new phase expands to the fields such as agriculture and livelihood, among others.