ISLAMABAD: The newly developed port of Gwadar can serve as cornerstone of the country’s economic development and change plight of the people of Balochistan if its real potential is exploited to bolster trade in the region.
This was stated by retired Colonel Maqbool Afridi, Chairman Standing Committee, Gwadar Promotion and Development of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
He said, “Gwadar project has the potential to give boost to the present crippled economy of the country in a short span of time. At the same time it has the potential to take the country’s economy to greater heights and bring it in line with the developed countries.”
He added that Gwadar port has the advantage over all existing and contemporary ports of the region for its location where world business and trade converge and diverge. He said due to its geostrategic location, the Central Asian Republics will have a short route to world markets and at the same time the developed countries will have an easy access to their natural resources.
He said that Gwadar is only 1500 km from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan & Tajikistan. Secondly, African continent especially its Eastern coast is very close to Gwadar. He was of the view the natural resources of Africa can be easily shipped to Gwadar, to be reshipped to the global consumer markets in the north.
He said half of the world population (China & India) is connected through land and sea with Gwadar and will be potential buyers of the products of Central Asian Republics/Africa. Similarly, he said that the port is well poised to have transshipment as well as transit trade, adding Dubai is earning billions of dollars yearly from transshipment which is 700 km ahead of Gwadar and has to pass through Strait of Hormuz which restrict the ships movement.
Oil rich Middle East’s oil shipped under our watchful eye from our coastal belt and Gwadar is ideally located to have an oil refinery and LNG plant and the product can be shipped or piped to any country of the world short of energy, he added. He said for transit trade Central Asian Republics and China’s West will be dependent on Gwadar. “In case we are able to develop understanding with India, the western part of India will prefer to have transit trade through Gwadar as it lies at shorter distance than Indian ports”.
He said that Gwadar is a God gifted natural deep sea port unlike the contemporary ports of Iran and Dubai and has the capacity to have 88 berths and ability to anchor mother ship of 1,00,000 – 2,00,000 DWT. Being a natural deep sea port it requires less maintenance cost as compared to other ports. The ports attract business and trade like a magnet, mainly due to cheap sea transportation.
Similarly Gwadar port has the potential to address the unemployment of the country coupled with the economic growth for the years to come. He said the business and job opportunities will be created en route from Gwadar to Khunjerab, which will benefit all provinces of the country immensely.
He said that the plying of millions of vehicles on this route carrying different products instead of camel caravans carrying silk will replace the centuries old ‘Silk Route’ into ‘Golden Route’.
He said that the construction of road – rail network from Kashgar to Gwadar is a gigantic task but not impossible and financially sound. China’s technological knowhow with her desire of expansion of the trade and business from her western part to reach to the world markets through Gwadar can make this fantasy a reality without involving Pakistani Rupee.
To provide security to the Chinese and other investors should be future top priority of Pakistani government and worries must be addressed sincerely at all levels, he added. Similarly, taking the regional and international powers into confidence for the commercial use of the port and the economic interdependence at the national, regional and international levels will automatically guarantee security to all actors along with evolving conducive business environment, he remarked.