Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on
Wednesday a new international airport would be constructed at Gwadar as part of the
plan to make the port city hub of economic activities. "The Civil Aviation
Authority will upgrade and improve the existing airport to ensure landing and
taking off of flights on daily basis until the new airport becomes operational",
the prime minister told Policy Board on Development of Gwadar Port at PM House
during a meeting. The prime minister said the government was according a high
priority to the development of Gwadar port since it was a vital link in the
logistics chain and essential to opening up new vistas of economic cooperation
in the region. He said he was satisfied with the progress made so far on Gwadar
port project, emphasizing the momentum must be maintained for its early
completion. The prime minister was informed that names of reputable
international consultants had been short-listed for marketing the port and
running its business. In this regard, contract, with necessary terms of
references outlining the entire gamut of operations, would be awarded by
September this year. Mr. Aziz was also told that the contract to dredge and
deepen Gwadar seaport from the existing depth of 11.5 meters to 14.5 meters had
already been offered to a Chinese firm. With the completion of the project, big
mother vessels would be docked at the port and it would help Gwadar become a
regional hub for transit cargo to Afghanistan and Central Asia. The prime
minister told the National Highway Authority chairman to accelerate work on
constructing access and link roads from Gwadar port. The prime minister also
directed Gwadar-Quetta-Chaman road be made truckable by June 2006. Officials
told the prime minister several portions of this road had been constructed and
work on others was under way. They said the NHA was fast tracking construction
to provide linkages to northern corridors, adding linkages to Karachi and N-25
already exist via the costal highway.
