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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Gwadar will ensure bright economic prospects: RaisaniStaff Report
QUETTA: Highlighting the importance of Gwadar Port, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani said on Sunday that it would be the future of Pakistan and Balochistan, and would ensure bright economic prospects for the all the people.
In a statement, he said that his government was taking a keen interest in making Gwadar Port fully operational and a number of measures were being taken to boost economic and commercial activities in Gwadar.
Nawab Raisani was of the view that with the complete development of Gwadar Port, the pressure on Karachi and Port Qasim would be shared to a great extent, thus ending congestion in the two Karachi ports. The chief minister was of the view that with an increase in the economic and commercial activities in Gwadar, prosperity would be spread among the people of Balochistan and that it would also give a big boost to trade and economic activities in the entire region.
He said that his government had played a key role in persuading the federal government to use the port facilities at Gwadar in loading and unloading fertiliser and wheat, from where they were transported to different locations in Pakistan.
Nawab Raisani said that for the past few years, his government had succeeded in diverting cargo to Gwadar Port, thus making it functional and operational.
The chief minister expressed his desire that the entire Afghan transit trade should be diverted from Karachi to Gwadar, as it was closer to Afghanistan. Defending his decision of declaring Gwadar as the winter capital of Balochistan, Nawab Raisani said that it was done with the sole purpose of accelerating the pace of economic development in Balochistan using the development potential of Gwadar.
He stated that the decision to make Gwadar the winter capital of Balochistan was based on sound administrative and economic reasons and that the decision was being implemented with all seriousness. Independent economists believe that future governments in Balochistan will follow the policies of Nawab Raisani in giving due importance to Gwadar as a hub of economic activities in the whole region.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk