Daily Times

QUETTA: Work on construction of a 10-square kilometres industrial free zone in Gwadar is underway and the port city alone will be able to create over 40,000 jobs having more capacity of job opportunities in future.

Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) Chairman Dostain Khan Jamaldini said construction of Gwadar Free Zone is underway at cost of $2 billion, where Chinese, Middle East, European and Pakistani investors have planned to establish 300 factories to manufacture different products.

He said, “Chinese firm is spending $2 billion for construction of roads, provision of electricity, gas and water in Gwadar Free Zone, spread over 10 square kilometres of land and work will be completed within stipulated time.”

The GPA chairman said, “Work on implementation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had already been started in 2013 after an agreement inked between Pakistan and China.

He said, “The work to construct new road network, railway track and communication infrastructure from Chinese province Xinjiang to Gwadar is also underway. Similarly, the work on different portions of CPEC in shape of roads and railway tracks is in full swing in different parts of the country including Skardu-Hawalian, Multan-Sukkur, Gwadar-Hoshab, Gwadar-Rato Dero, Mughal Kot-Zhob and others.” China is investing $46 billion for construction of CPEC route infrastructure in shape of roads and railway tracks after the completion of infrastructure, he said.

Jamaldini said a power plant of 300 MW is being established under CPEC in Gwadar which would run simultaneously on coal, diesel and gas.

He said, “LNG plant is also being established in Gwadar to meet energy requirement of new industrial units to be set up in the port city.”

He said CPEC infrastructure of road network would be completed by 2018 adding that several other projects pertaining to CPEC would continue till 2030. He said, “It is flagship project of One Road, One Belt initiative of Chinese leadership which had several programmes and projects to be implemented till 2030.”

He said technical and vocational training institutes are being established in Gwadar, Quetta, Khuzdar and other cities of Balochistan to provide training to youth in industrial parks being established in Balochistan as part of the CPEC.

He further said that a 19-kilometres long East Bay Expressway would connect Gwadar International Airport to Gwadar Deep seaport adding that the project would be completed by 2018. Early Harvest Project is also being executed in Gwadar with the cost of Rs 14 billion, he added.

The GPA chairman said that a parallel two-way railway track is also being laid down alongside the East Bay Expressway.