Daily Times

A federal cabinet committee met on Tuesday to discuss a roadmap aimed at enhancing the utilisation of Gwadar Port through public sector imports, with a focus on wheat, fertiliser, and sugar.

The meeting, chaired by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan explored strategies to route 60% of public sector imports through Gwadar Port. The initiative, which includes bulk commodities like wheat, sugar, and urea, is part of a broader effort to position Gwadar as a key trade hub for Pakistan.

Key stakeholders in the meeting included the Maritime Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, along with senior officials from the ministries of Commerce, Maritime Affairs, Interior, and Planning.

The committee was tasked with proposing actionable recommendations to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with the goal of enhancing the strategic role of Gwadar in national and international trade.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, the committee stressed the importance of using Gwadar Port for bulk imports, particularly in the agricultural and fertiliser sectors.

The committee proposed a two-pronged approach to achieve this goal: a holistic vision to integrate Gwadar into the national trade framework, and immediate actions that leverage public sector imports through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP).

Additionally, the potential for containerised vessel imports and exports via Gwadar was discussed, with a focus on incentivising private sector trade through the port. A proposal to establish a dedicated working group for private sector engagement was also considered.

The meeting also explored Gwadar’s potential for transshipment and transit to Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics (CARs) and acknowledged the progress made in transshipment initiatives, alongside China’s interest in leveraging Gwadar under the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) framework.

The committee identified the cost differential between Gwadar and Karachi as a critical factor in ensuring competitiveness, particularly in government-to-government deals, such as those with Bangladesh. Financial support mechanisms to address this issue were discussed.

Looking ahead, the committee agreed to convene monthly meetings and report quarterly to the cabinet on the progress of these initiatives as the next meeting will present a working paper that outlines key enabling factors such as road and rail linkages, insurance facilitation, and security arrangements to further support Gwadar’s growth as a trade hub.