Planning minister, Chinese envoy vow to successfully implement CPEC phase-2

Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong vowed on Thursday to work together to make the second phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a success.

Nong Rong called on Asad Umar here and discussed matters related to bilateral relations projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor especially those related to Industrial Cooperation.

They expressed satisfaction on the JWGs meetings held in the recent weeks, for various sectors.

They agreed to work together to make the second phase of CPEC a success.

Minister Asad Umar welcomed the ambassador on his new assignments and extended best wishes for his endeavors.

He said that China –Pakistan relationship extended beyond the government to government cooperation as the bond between the people of the two countries was also very strong.

The chinese ambassador thanked the minister and said that the Chinese side also highly values the relationship and it would be his endeavor to build on the work done in the last many years.

Source: The Nation  https://nation.com.pk/19-Nov-2020/planning-minister-chinese-envoy-vow-to-successfully-implement-cpec-phase-2?show=preview

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CM Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Speaker National Assembly discuss CPEC projects

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan called on Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser at Parliament House on Thursday and discussed China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and Energy Minister Omar Ayub were also present in the meeting.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa briefed about the details of ongoing development projects in the province under CPEC.

Chief Minister appreciated Speaker NA Asad Qaiser for his efforts in promotion of trade with Afghanistan.

Praising the public welfare projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Speaker Asad Qaiser said that the performance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was commendable.

He said that Pakistan was being considered a hub of economic activities due to its geographical importance and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be the hub of these economic activities.

He said that access to Central Asian countries through Afghanistan under the Economic Corridor would open new avenues for development and prosperity in the entire region.

The Speaker said that completion of Rashkai Economic Zone project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under CPEC would prove to be a game changer project for the whole country specially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that early completion of this project of CPEC would provide ample job opportunities to the people.

Source: The Nation  https://nation.com.pk/19-Nov-2020/cm-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-speaker-national-assembly-discuss-cpec-projects

 

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NA body passes CPEC Authority (Amendment) Bill 2020

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives has approved “The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020” with a majority.

The Committee met with MNA Junaid Akbar in the chair at P-Block Secretariat on Tuesday.

The Committee discussed The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) issues.

The Committee discussed the CPEC Authority Bill, 2020 clause by clause. After detailed discussion and voting, the Committee approved the bill with a majority.

As many as seven members belonged to the government, supported the bill while five members of the opposition parties (the PPP and the PML-N) opposed it.

The opposition members Muhammad Sajjad, Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Sardar Muhammad Irfan Dogar and Syed Agha Rafiullah opposed the bill and submitted their notes of dissent.

The Committee members also inquired from the Ministry of Planning that what salary package is being given to the present chairman of CPEC.

The ministry replied that no salary package was being given to the chairman CPEC and no memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the chairman after the expiry of the CPEC Ordinance.

According to clause six of the bill, “The Chairperson of the Authority shall be appointed by the government for a term of four years, on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the government. The Chairperson shall be eligible for re-appointment for one additional term of four years.”

Source: Business Recorder  https://www.brecorder.com/news/40033537/na-body-passes-cpec-authority-amendment-bill-2020

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CPEC’s JCC meeting faces more delay

A crucial meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been further delayed after both the countries could not agree on the future roadmap for industrial cooperation.

Pakistani and Chinese authorities have not yet been able to agree on a common agenda for holding the fifth meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Industrial Parks and Special Economic Zones (SEZs), said sources in the Ministry of Planning and Development.

The working group meeting has to take place before convening the next JCC meeting, which is the 10th in sequence, they added.

There are nine JWGs of CPEC that deal with every important sphere of economic cooperation. So far, seven groups have met while meetings of JWG on industrial cooperation and Gwadar have not taken place.

Sources said that the Gwadar working group could meet in a few days but the meeting of industrial cooperation group might take place by the end of current month. Industrial cooperation is the lynchpin of the second phase of CPEC.

The Foreign Office had tentatively scheduled the 10th JCC meeting for the end of October but later delayed it to mid-November.

JCC meeting could take place in the next three to four weeks, said Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar while talking to The Express Tribune.

He said that JWG meetings were “almost completed” and both sides were considering whether to hold face-to-face meeting or meet remotely due to the Covid-19 situation.

The minister said that Pakistan was also keen to make progress on an agreement on financing the Mainline-I project of Pakistan Railways during the 10th JCC meeting.

Total cost of the project is $6.8 billion and Pakistan is seeking $6.1 billion in Chinese loan, according to a decision taken by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec).

JCC is the highest decision-making body of CPEC, which is co-chaired by Pakistan’s minister for planning and development and the chairman of China’s National Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC).

JCC makes decisions on the inclusion of any new project into the CPEC framework and also takes stock of project implementation.

In 2014, Pakistan and China had announced that they would deepen their economic and strategic cooperation through CPEC, which is the pilot project of the trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative of the Chinese president.

Pakistan and China were successful in showing progress during the first four years of CPEC implementation and implemented nearly $25 billion worth of projects. However, things started slowing down after 2018 and there has hardly been any progress in the past two years.

China delayed the finalisation of agenda for holding the fifth JWG meeting on industrial cooperation, said Asim Ayub, Project Director of CPEC Industrial Cooperation, Board of Investment (BOI).

Pakistan had forwarded the agenda and draft minutes to Chinese authorities in April this year but they responded back just a few days ago, said the project director.

Ayub said that Pakistan was keen to sign the Framework Agreement on Industrial Cooperation as existing cooperation was only under a memorandum of understanding.

The project director said that Chinese authorities wanted to defer some of the agenda items till the next meeting but Pakistan’s desire was that these important issues should be taken up in the upcoming meeting.

BOI would not hush up things and wanted to have meaningful bilateral cooperation in the industrial sector, he added.

“The ball is in their court and Pakistan is awaiting Chinese response to the revised draft agenda,” said Ayub.

Under industrial cooperation, Pakistan wants to develop nine prioritised SEZs but the pace of work remains very slow. So far, Pakistani authorities have been able to start some sort of work on three industrial zones.

During the ninth JCC, it had been decided that Pakistan would provide infrastructure at zero point and one-window service to all SEZs. So far, the Rashakai SEZ is relatively at an advanced stage and 10 megawatts of electricity will be provided soon. But the procurement for gas pipeline is still in progress.

The government has not yet been able to finalise procedural formalities for the provision of electricity to the Allama Iqbal SEZ, Faisalabad.

For setting up the SEZ at Bostan, a feasibility study has been completed and the SEZ approval committee has officially approved the Bostan SEZ subject to some adjustments.

Pakistan has also not approved an incentive package and it has remained at the draft stage for the past five years.

Source: The Express Tribune https://tribune.com.pk/story/2272727/cpecs-jcc-meeting-faces-more-delay

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CPEC has attracted $25 billion investments in Pakistan

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has achieved major progress since its launch seven years ago, bringing a total of $25 billion of direct investments to the country, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

During his regular briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin noted that many projects has been started or completed under CPEC, a dynamic project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by President Xi Jinping.

He particularly mentioned the completion of Orange Line Metro Line (OLMT) in Lahore, Pakistan’s first electric-powered public transport project. “Last month as an early harvest project, the Orange Line, was made operational, marking the beginning of the subway era for Pakistan,” he said.

Wang said that projects completed under CPEC, had enhanced infrastructure and power supply in Pakistan and created employment opportunities for the locals and contributed towards the growth of gross domestic product (GDP).

“These projects enhanced infrastructure and electricity supply in the country and created more than 70,000 direct positions and contributed 1 to 2 percentage points of the country’s GDP growth,” the spokesperson added.

Giving example of Afghanistan which was importing food and other essential items through the Gwadar port, Wang noted that CPEC had not only promoted development in the two countries but also helped regional connectivity and prosperity.

“Gwadar port, since first half of this year, started shipping cargo, weighing about 20,000 tonnes that carried wheat, sugar and fertilisers to Afghanistan, the spokesperson told reporters. “This created about 1,000 jobs,” he added.

Reiterating support to the flagship project, which was launched after the consensus of the leaderships of the two countries, he said, China’s support to CPEC would continue as the two countries “will work together to implement our leaders’ consensus”.

“The existing programmes are focusing more on cooperation in livelihood, industry and agriculture to change CPEC into a demonstration project of high quality BRI development and to bring more benefits to our two countries and the region,” he added.

Appreciating the positive remarks made by Pakistan’s top leaderships towards the CPEC projects, Wang said: “We have noted the remarks about CPEC which is an important pilot project and flagship projects of China-Pakistan cooperation and BRI development.”

In response to a question about third party and other countries’ participation in CPEC, he said that the Chinese side would welcome interested countries to join the project and other projects of BRI to jointly contribute to regional and global stability and prosperity.

Source: The Express Tribune https://tribune.com.pk/story/2271041/cpec-has-attracted-25-billion-investments-in-pakistan

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CPEC: India’s new nightmare

The recent press conference by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and the DG ISPR brought to light India’s subversive activities to destabilise the country as well as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They claimed that not only is India promoting sub-nationalism in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Azad Kashmir but it has also established a dedicated cell and a militia to disrupt CPEC projects and has set aside $60 million for this purpose.

India’s stance on CPEC has been no secret but it’s the first time that Pakistan has come out with the specifics. It shows intensifying covert operations against CPEC, India’s growing discomfort with the cozying Pak-China relations, and the rising geopolitical tensions in the region.

What is India’s problem with CPEC? Firstly, it’s the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry that is in play here. But more than that it’s the consolidation of long-term Chinese interests in Pakistan that is the real source of India’s discomfort. CPEC means unhindered Chinese access to and continued presence in Gwadar, which when looked at in the light of ‘all-weather Pak-China friendship’ means that India will have to think twice before engaging Pakistan in conventional warfare. Then comes the issue of G-B. The CPEC arteries connecting Xinjiang to Gwadar crisscross through this mountainous territory that India has long claimed to be hers. The Chinese-financed CPEC strengthens Islamabad’s claim on G-B, something that has not been received well in New Delhi. China’s stake in G-B also significantly restricts India’s options to resist Pakistan’s decision to grant G-B the status of a province.

Lastly, it is hard to ignore the changing international and regional political landscape. Regional conflicts, hostility and acrimonious politics has traditionally impeded economic co-operation within South Asia, which remains one of the least integrated and co-operative regions in the world with minimal movement of goods, individuals and investments across countries. This however could have changed with the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), building on China’s strong economic and trade relationships with India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. But India, under the baggage of bitter Sino-Indian history and blinded by animosity with Pakistan, decided to stay away from BRI and hence forego this historic opportunity to create a new economic bloc in South Asia. This Indian stance was at least partially influenced by an aggressive anti-China US policy under the Trump administration and its ambition for a free and open Indo-Pacific strategy. Then the recent border skirmishes between China and India added fuel to the fire. These covert operations in Pakistan are therefore a way for India to indirectly settle its score with China, which could not be settled in the battleground of Ladakh.

How should Pakistan respond?

For starters, we need to get our house in order. The institutional apparatus for CPEC implementation remains in limbo, with the CPEC Authority Ordinance expired. Even before its expiry, it wasn’t entirely clear how the CPEC Authority worked with the ministries and provinces. Any further lapse on this front would mean more fodder for CPEC’s opponents.

Then comes the narrative-building part. International media is rife with anti-CPEC stories, floated by Indian propaganda machine, spewing venom. Our side of the story is missing from the international scene and that’s what needs to be told, backed by figures and facts.

Lastly, we must realise that the future of Balochistan is inseparable from the future of CPEC. A prosperous Balochistan would strengthen CPEC’s foundation, whereas an impoverished province with rampant unemployment would create a permanent threat. Therefore, it’s time to put in place a Balochistan strategy for CPEC, laying out a clear plan of action on how the Baloch people can reap the dividends of this multi-billion dollar investment that has the potential to change Pakistan’s destiny.

Source: The Express Tribune https://tribune.com.pk/story/2272488/cpec-indias-new-nightmare

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Gwadar’s new master plan highlights factors behind economic prosperity

Gwadar’s population is set to exceed 2 million people in the long-term with high paid expatriate professionals accounting for up to 80 percent of the population, according to the new Gwadar Smart City Master Plan.

High paid jobs, tax free environment, high-tech industries, mega shopping malls, luxury resorts, manmade islands and a Pakistan’s largest international airport which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran

Khan last year are all included in the blueprint that will see Gwadar become the 3rd largest city in Pakistan by economic output.

The 75 page master plan document, prepared by Chinese state owned company China Communications Construction Company in conjunction with Pakistan’s Minister of Planning, Development and Gwadar Development Authority, chalks out an elaborate road map and plan on how Gwadar is to become the trade and economic hub of South Asia with a GDP per capita of $15,000-10 times that of Pakistan’s average.

The Government of Pakistan and China project Gwadar’s economy to surpass $30 billion per annum in the long-term, creating 1-1.2 million high paid jobs with an income per capita of $15,000. Pakistan’s current income per capita meaning the economic output the country generates per person is around $1500 which Gwadar will eclipse by some 1000 percent.

According to Gwadar’s new Master Plan the city will become the fulcrum of economic development in western Pakistan, the main port in western Pakistan, one of the westward sea routes in western China, the five Central Asian countries and the trade centers of Afghanistan, South Asia and the neighbouring Middle East.

The Mega projects, include a $5 billion investment into Gwadar’s power sector with 15 new power plants, $1 billion invested in to generating 700,000 m3 of fresh water per day through desalination plants, a manmade island, central business district, Pakistan’s tallest building all in a tax-free environment where life can be enjoyed whilst avoiding taxes.

Gwadar is set to see a massive influx of skilled workers and high powered executives as it gears up to become the technological, industrial and high-tech service hub of South Asia.

According to the recently released Gwadar smart port city master plan Gwadar’s economic output is expected to exceed $30 billion whilst creating up to 1.2 million jobs for skilled workers and professionals.

The master plan details international exhibition centres, multiple theme parks, luxury 5 resorts, botanical gardens and museums in a thriving modern city economy all within Pakistan’s first ‘weapon free’ city.

Pakistan’s current trade and economic hub of Karachi sea some 65 million tonnes of cargo through the port each year and with Gwadar eclipsing that by 2030 as the key route for trade with the Middle-East, Afghanistan, Central Asia and China, the city is expected to become the region’s leading trade centre.

Gwadar will require some 15,800 new homes by 2025, 47,600 by 2030 and 254,500 by 2050 according to the new Gwadar Smart City Master Plan.

A tax free haven with high technology industries, manmade islands, science and technology parks, 5 beach resorts, concert venues, exhibition centres, shopping malls and Pakistan’s first ‘weapon-free’ city will see Gwadar economic output reach $30 billion per

annum and population balloon to 2 million residents resulting in a mega shortage of housing.

In line with Pakistan and China’s grand development plans for the Port City of Gwadar the city will be Pakistan’s first weapon free city. The city is being developed under the highest of international standards to be an economic hub not only for Pakistan but for the region and for this reason a robust security environment will be developed to ensure security for foreigners and expats coming to Gwadar.

The security plans include the highest levels of urban security mechanisms through CCTV, vehicle management, urban video and alarm networks, and police management programs.

Pakistan’s first dedicated high education centre and University City has been planned at the centre of Gwadar’s new Master Plan.

Built as a city of the future along the highest of international standard’s Gwadar will have a dedicated University City focused on the technology and medical sectors enabling locals of Gwadar and the expected 2 million population to educate themselves in the most sophisticated environment.

Plans for luxury golf course have been revealed in Gwadar’s new Master Plan which projects a booming city of 2 Million people with a GDP per capita some 10 times that of Pakistan at $15,000 per capita.

This is all detailed within the new Gwadar master plan which has been developed by the Government of Pakistan alongside Chinese state owned construction and planning giant China Communications Construction Company.

Source: Business Recorder

Dated on: 13/02/2020

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Govt to Build Pakistan’s First Man-Made ‘Chand Tara Island’ in Gwadar

The government has planned to develop the first man-made ‘Chand Tara Island’ of Pakistan in Gwadar at a cost of $10 billion. ‘Chand Tara’ meaning moon and the star symbolizes the Pakistani flag. It will form the residential areas of the Central Business District.

In a 78-page master plan, it was revealed. It says that this project will be a collaborative effort between the Pakistan government and the Chinese state-owned enterprise, China Communications Construction Company that has a net worth of over $132 billion.

The island will feature a state of the art amusement park, art & culture museum, grand theatre, concert hall, international expo center, hotels, resorts, shopping malls, and waterfront walk. It will stretch from the Marine Drive towards Zero Point.

As per the detailed report, there is a plan to make Gwadar the next trade and economic hub of Pakistan and South Asia. In the long term, its economy would surpass $30 billion per annum. It is expected that the project will create almost 1.2 million high paid jobs. This will take the per capita income of Gwadar to $15,000 in comparison to the current per capita income of around $1500.

Also, it is proposed in the master plan to make Gwadar the first tax-free and weapon-free economic zone of Pakistan. Presently Karachi is the trade and economic hub of Pakistan as it sends around 65 million tonnes of cargo via port annually. It took 70 years for Karachi to achieve this status. However, it is expected that the Gwadar port will achieve its target by 2030.

If things go as planned,Gwadar will also become third largest city of Pakistan by economic output with high-paid jobs, a tax-free environment, high-tech industries, huge shopping malls, man-made islands and the home to the largest international airport of Pakistan.

Source: RS.news

Date: 12/02/2020

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Umar for expediting work on Railways ML-1

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has directed the financing committee to expedite its work and engage with the Chinese side to finalise the terms and conditions of financing of the ML-1 Railways Project.

The minister chaired a meeting to review the present status of preparation and processing of PC-I of the ML-1 project and the Pakistan Railways Strategic Plan here on Tuesday.

Dr Ishrat Hussain, adviser to the prime minister on institutional reforms and austerity, deputy chairperson Planning Commission, secretaries planning and railways and senior officials of both the ministries participated in the meeting.

A financing committee for ML-1 Railway Project had been constituted, which has been looking into the modalities for the implementation of the project with regard to the terms and conditions of financing.

The meeting was informed that the umbrella PC-1 of the project was under review in the Planning Commission. Considering the significance of the project as well as the scale of financing required for the project, the Planning Commission is carrying out the required due diligence in consultation with all the relevant stakeholders. For this purpose the Commission also arranged a consultative workshop on the project in the last week of January 2020.

The financing committee has already asked Economic Affairs Division (EAD) to advice the Chinese side, of the Government of Pakistan’s readiness for the execution of the project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Planning Minister Asad Umar said that the government was keen to improve and upgrade the railways infrastructure in the country and ML-1 was the most important project in that regard. He said that improvement of efficiency, freight services and providing quality traveling facilities to commuters was the government’s objective.

The minister emphasised the need for devising a holistic strategy for developing and upgrading infrastructure across the country and fill connectivity gaps for sustained national growth.

Umar said the railways should expedite the remaining work of 3rd party review so that the same can be processed for approval at the earliest.

He stressed on the Ministry of Railways that the institutional/organisational reforms were inevitable for sustenance of the railways and for its future operation and maintenance of the system. In this regard, the railways should implement reforms and improve the organisational structure to be able to handle a much bigger infrastructure.

The minister said that apart from ML-1, the Karachi Circular Railway was also an important project in the same sector. Umar said that the government wanted to finalise/implement both those projects. Railways secretary expressed the desire and readiness of the ministry for executing both the projects at the earliest.

Source: Business Recorder

Date: 12/02/2020

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Gwadar, security & inclusive development

The journey from the exit out of the Gwadar Airport to the narrow passage through the old town – barely half a kilometre stretch – to the security checkpoints before the Port Area and on the way to the Kohe Batil is not amusing at all.

The first thing that strikes a maiden visitor to the area during this 10-kilometre trip is the narrow entry-exit gate; all the vehicles on the way out have to meander through a dirt patch if the way is blocked by incoming traffic – a sad reflection indeed on the competence of the authorities.

Equally striking is the presence of about two dozen armed soldiers and their vehicles near and around the gate of the airport. The sight of this imposing presence of armed forces itself is a turn-off, in fact intimidating, particularly for foreign visitors who are not used to such scenes.

”The old town itself wears an extremely dirty look, with piles of trash in the dusty streets which smell of nasty stench that rises from the                                                                                                    overflowing sewerage water”

Thirdly, although over 95 percent of the road – Padizar – has been dualized, yet lack of consultation with locals and apparent official indifference to the concerns of the local community – largely fishermen – has stalled dualization work on the road up to the port.

Fourth, the security checkpoint before the Port Area itself is often quite testing not only for Pakistani visitors but also even for locals because of discomforting questions by the young soldiers manning the posts. They clearly lack the knowledge of local sensitivities. Nor are they equipped with the ability to distinguish between potential militants and visitors – most of whom travel in the official vehicle of the only hotel that is perched on the Kohe Batil.

These feelings are even more frustrating for the person on a second visit to Gwadar – a city that is talked about not only in the length and breadth of China and Pakistan but also elsewhere, often referred to as the Jewel in the crown of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). For me personally, none of the aforementioned factors have fundamentally changed between October 2016, when I first visited the place, and Feb 2020, when I arrived here a second time.

And these factors often breed frustration among locals as well as give way to all kind of suspicion and speculation. Ashraf Hussain, for instance, is a local politician and big name in the real estate because of ancestral lands his family has owned. He is mostly reluctant in coming to the PC Hotel on Kohe Batil because of questions ( in his words “insults”) that he some times has to face at the hands of soldiers at piquets.

 Gwadar for outsiders, particularly keen investors and businessmen, evokes enthusiasm. They equate it with a place open to visitors and ready for investment. But the imposing omnipresent physical and procedural security barriers kill that enthusiasm.

“Is it not annoying that I have to respond to silly questions when they ask me where I come from and where do I want to go,” says the elderly Hussain. We had owned most of the land that has gone into the Port and the Hospital area. It is painful that a former owner of these lands, a native son of the soil has to provide his identity every time he steps out of home,” he said.How can you expect the local people not to be resentful if their share of jobs in provincial institutions such as GDA or the Port Authority is minimal

The old town itself wears an extremely dirty look, with piles of trash in the dusty streets which smell of nasty stench that rises from the overflowing sewerage water.

Potable water and electricity is another chronic issue that Gwadar locals – nearly 80,000 in all – are struggling with. The new Chinese-build maternity care centre constructed adjacent to the Port remains non-functional despite having been inaugurated a few weeks ago.

Frustration with the slow pace of development and non-inclusion of locals in decision-making were in fact over-flowing at a dialogue where over 50 representatives from various walks of life – drawn from Gwadar, Jeewni, Pasni, Ormara, Kharan, Quetta – participated.

“How do you create social protection for, and ownership of, the port-related business if locals are excluded from the primary business,” asked Fida Hussain Dashti, a local businessman. He complained of low quality of work on various projects, including the Coastal Highway as well as the M-8, where commuters say most of the bridges have become dysfunctional within months of the construction.

How can business flourish in a securitized environment, where most locals feel being treated as terror suspects, asked a young Baloch fisherman.

Local officials claim that work on the 300 bed hospital, the Gwadar Vocational Training Center is already underway. They say planning for the three access points on the East-Bay Express Way to local fishermen, and water and sanitation projects is also underway. The Master plan for the Gwadar Smart Port City and the a review of the Old City Master plan is also under way to help being upgrade water, power and sewerage systems in the city.

We have no reason to dismiss these claims but the exclusionary planning, decision-making and execution has already poisoned many minds. Participants of the dialogue, including former Chief minister Dr. Mohammad Malik Baloch, demanded that federal and provincial governments should prioritise inclusion of Balochistan’s local communities in all the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. Their interests and identities need to be protected through legislation for an economically sustainable and socially acceptable development.

“How can you expect the local people not to be resentful if their share of jobs in provincial institutions such as GDA or the Port Authority is minimal,” asked the former chief minister, adding that share of jobs must be increased for locals (Gwadar) in particular and Baloch people in general across the province, asked Dr. Baloch.

One mounting fear is the marginalisation of local communities – traders, fishermen, contractors, transporters; locals allege that most of the contracts are gradually being doled out to outsiders from Karachi and Lahore, which means elbowing out locals.

This will not help the government in smoothly implementing CPEC projects. The best way for blaming the bruised egos, removing the mistrust and neutralising the nationalist militants is to create ownership of the local communities in all development and administrative structures, they said.

Source: Global Village Space

Date: 11/02/2020

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