By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday will pay a day-long visit to Gwadar to review progress on different development projects and break ground for other mega projects.
During his visit, the prime minister accompanied by members of his federal cabinet, is also expected to witness signing of a number of Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) including implementation agreement 1.2 MGD desalination plant and solar generators grant for Balochistan.
According to details, the prime minister would be briefed on the ongoing development projects in the area where he is also expected to interact with the authorities concerned and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) work force. He would also perform ground breaking of North Gwadar Free Zones (FZ), enterprises in Gwadar FZ, Gwadar expo building and other factories. The prime minister will also address a ceremony and interact with the local populace.
Though video links, it is also expected that expression of commitment for investment in Gwadar would be made by the Chinese investors and by the ambassadors of Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Kenya and Qatar.
Earlier on Saturday while sharing development, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Asim Saleem Bajwa said that he is seeing a revolution of development in the Southern Balochistan with completion of CPEC projects.
He was sharing updates on the progress of various development projects with the media persons in Hoshab, Balochistan. Asim Saleem Bajwa said there was a special focus on implementation of the Rs600 billion package for development projects in southern Balochistan.
“As per the vision of the prime minister, all of the remote regions of the country need to be improved and brought up to the [level] of other developed areas and completion of the overall south Balochistan project would allow people to benefit from CPEC, Gwadar port and accessibility to Karachi would increase as well,” Asim Bajwa said.
CPEC Chairman said that there was a need to bring the remotest regions of the country in line with developed areas as per the prime minister’s vision. Asim Saleem Bajwa said that a major priority of the prime minister Imran Khan was to connect CPEC and the Gwadar port with the country’s north for which roads were being developed.
Mr. Bajwa said construction was under way on the Hoshab-Awaran road and the Basima-Khuzdar road project was also 70 per cent complete and would be completed by year-end.
“There are around 80 ongoing schemes but apart from that there are around 200 schemes in this entire [development] package,” Bajwa said, adding that a network of roads would be laid “which is a dream of the people here”.
The CPEC chairman said around 39pc of the development package had been set aside for communication infrastructure and connectivity. This included plans for expansion of the Turbat airport and installing internet and broadband services in the region, he added.
He said the prime minister had approved the linking of the national grid with south Balochistan for which a grid station in Basima was being constructed which would generate 150 megawatt of electricity and there is also a 3,000MW power project in Gwadar on which work has started. Also, installation of desalination plants and construction of 31 dams in nine south Balochistan districts had begun, he said.
Bajwa also thanked the locals, security forces and law enforcement agencies for cooperating together to clear the area from terrorists and said a border fence was being erected as well with around 650 kilometres completed.
