Fertiliser reaches Gwadar via transit trade
Listen to article
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday welcomed the successful berthing of the second Afghan transit trade ship at Gwadar Port.
The vessel, carrying 20,000 metric tons of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser, marks another milestone in enhancing regional trade connectivity. He noted that the fertiliser shipment originated from Townsville, Australia and represented the second successful docking under the revised Afghan transit trade framework, following the arrival of MV Beyond 2 on February 4, 2025.
"This is part of our sustained efforts to operationalise Gwadar Port as a strategic trade gateway for landlocked Afghanistan," the minister remarked. "Gwadar's growing role in transit trade reflects our commitment to enabling smooth access for Afghanistan to international markets."
He emphasised that the recent decision by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to replace the bank guarantee requirement with an insurance guarantee for Afghan transit trade through Gwadar had significantly improved ease of doing business and expedited cargo clearance processes. He added that the arrival of MV ASL Rose was a strong indicator of increasing international trust in Gwadar's operational readiness and infrastructure, highlighting Pakistan's role in promoting efficient and reliable transit trade in the region.
Junaid Anwar directed Gwadar Port authorities to ensure quick berthing and seamless cargo unloading and reiterated that the port was fully equipped to handle rising volumes of transit goods under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
He expressed confidence that the development would help lower transit costs, increase trade efficiency and reinforce economic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Fertiliser reaches Gwadar via transit trade
Listen to article Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday welcomed the successful berthing of the second Afghan transit trade ship at Gwadar Port. The vessel, carrying 20,000 metric tons of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser, marks another milestone in enhancing regional trade connectivity. He noted that the fertiliser shipment originated from Townsville, Australia and represented the second successful docking under the revised Afghan transit trade framework, following the arrival of MV Beyond 2 on February 4, 2025. "This is part of our sustained efforts to operationalise Gwadar Port as a strategic trade gateway for landlocked Afghanistan," the minister remarked. "Gwadar's growing role in transit trade reflects our commitment to enabling smooth access for Afghanistan to international markets." He emphasised that the recent decision by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to replace the bank guarantee requirement with an insurance guarantee for Afghan transit trade through Gwadar had significantly improved ease of doing business and expedited cargo clearance processes. He added that the arrival of MV ASL Rose was a strong indicator of increasing international trust in Gwadar's operational readiness and infrastructure, highlighting Pakistan's role in promoting efficient and reliable transit trade in the region. Junaid Anwar directed Gwadar Port authorities to ensure quick berthing and seamless cargo unloading and reiterated that the port was fully equipped to handle rising volumes of transit goods under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA). He expressed confidence that the development would help lower transit costs, increase trade efficiency and reinforce economic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Karachi, Hyderabad uplift packages: ECC approves Rs20bn non-lapsable funds thru PIDCL
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved non-lapsable funds of Rs 20 billion under Karachi and Hyderabad Urban Infrastructure Development Packages through Pakistan Infrastructure Development Company Limited (PIDCL), well informed sources told Business Recorder. Ministry of Housing & Works has briefed the ECC that the Prime Minister of Pakistan had directed that the special development packages for Karachi at a cost of Rs.15 billion and Hyderabad at a cost of Rs.5 billion be prepared to address the pressing development demands of both the cities as federal government initiatives, which were duly reflected in federal PSDP 2024-25 with substantial allocations. In this regard it was stated that PIDCL was a company registered under Section 32 of the Companies Act 2017, and was recently transferred from M/oPD&SI. The company was established for executing Green Line project in Karachi. PIDCL's mandate had been expanded to cover entire Pakistan and had been entrusted execution of special packages and some of erstwhile PWD projects, without concomitant wherewithal. PIDCL had also been assigned the task for execution of Development Schemes Hyderabad Package (PSDP number 223) and Karachi Package (PSDP number 222) vide Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives letter of April 15, 2025. Rs137bn uplift package for Lahore approved by CM A summary in this regard was moved to ECC on May 20, 2025 through M/o Finance with the request for: (i) Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) of Rs.15 billion for Karachi and Rs.5 billion for Hyderabad; and (ii) to keep the fund available for timely execution, the PIDCL may be allowed for depositing the said fund in non-lapsable accounts. Finance Division had issued concurrence for the TSG. However, since no advice was tendered on non-lapsability, another request has been sent to Ministry of Finance. Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives, in its letter of May 23, 2025 replied to the Finance Division that Finance Division may take further action for surrender of revised allocation of Rs.20 billion of projects PSDP number 223 and PSDP number 222 reflecting under Finance Division as per revised PSDP in favour of Ministry of Housing and Works for further processing the case as per procedure. In the light of response received from PD&SI Division, Finance Division, in a letter of May 26, 2025 had agreed that Finance Division does not have any objection to surrender an amount of Rs.15 billion from PSDP Project titled Karachi Urban Infrastructure Development Package, PSDP number 222 and Rs.5 billion for the project tilted: Hyderabad Urban Infrastructure Development Package, PSDP number 223 from Finance Division's Demand No.109-Other Development Expenditure, in favour of Ministry of Housing and Works demand 130-Capital Outlay on Civil Works. Approval of the ECC was solicited for the following: Ministry of Housing and Works may be allocated the surrendered funds amounting to Rs.15 billion from PSDP project, titled: Karachi Urban Infrastructure Development Package, and Rs.5 billion from the project titled: Hyderabad Urban Infrastructure Development Package through Technical Supplementary Grant from Finance Division's Demand No. 109-Other Development Expenditure, in favour of Ministry of Housing and Works' Demand 130- Capital Outlay on Civil Works; and to keep the fund available for timely execution, the PIDCL may be allowed for depositing the said fund in non-lapsable accounts. During the ensuing discussion, Finance Division endorsed the proposal with the condition that out of total requested funds of Rs. 15 billion for the Karachi Urban Infrastructure Development Package, Rs. 10 billion will be allocated to the Ministry of Housing and Works from the surrendered funds of PSDP project No 222, while the remaining Rs. 5 billion will be arranged by the Ministry of Housing and Works through internal adjustment of their existing budgetary resources. It was also explained that the matter had already been discussed by the Steering Committee on Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Programme in its meeting held on June 2, 2025, and it had been decided that the PIDCL will execute the SDG projects under the same arrangements as was done by the erstwhile Pak PWD. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
20 hours ago
- Express Tribune
PM orders probe after second attack on MNA Mubarak Zeb's house
Member of the National Assembly (MNA) and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Mubarak Zeb Khan. Photo: Radio Pakistan A rocket attack was carried out on the residence of Member of the National Assembly (MNA) and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Mubarak Zeb Khan, in Bajaur district late Friday night — the second such incident in a month — prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order an immediate investigation and arrest of those responsible. According to Express News, unknown assailants fired a rocket at the MNA's house around 1am, which exploded near the main gate. While no casualties were reported, the explosion caused partial damage to the entrance of the residence. District Police Officer (DPO) Bajaur, Waqas Rafiq, confirmed the incident and said that a probe had been launched. 'Police teams have initiated immediate investigations,' he added. ایک دفعہ پھر میرے گھر کو رات کی تاریکی میں شرپسندوں نے راکٹ حملہ کردیا۔ الحمدللہ کوئ جانی نقصان نہیں ہوا۔ — Mubarak Zeb Khan (@MubarakZeb22) June 13, 2025 In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Khan said: "Once again, miscreants launched a rocket attack on my house under the cover of darkness. Alhamdulillah, there was no loss of life." PM Shehbaz, in a statement on Saturday, strongly condemned the attack and expressed relief that no lives were lost, Radio Pakistan reported. He directed law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident without delay and ensure those behind the attack are brought to justice. Separately, the MNA issued a strong message, saying such 'cowardly acts' would not deter him from serving the people of the region. Khan said the attack bore the hallmarks of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which had also claimed responsibility for an earlier attack on his residence on May 14. Read more: Bomb blast hits MNA's home in Bajaur At the time, an improvised explosive device (IED) had been planted at the house's main gate, which was destroyed in the resulting blast. Khan noted that threatening calls and messages from international numbers had been received in recent days. 'The involvement of a banned outfit near the Pak-Afghan border, potentially with the support of some local elements, cannot be ruled out,' he said. Highlighting possible motives behind the attacks, he said he was committed to using all available resources for the uplift of Bajaur, and such actions were aimed at sabotaging the ongoing development efforts in the area. 'They contacted us through international numbers and issued threats to halt the developmental activities. But we are not afraid. The development of Bajaur will not stop.' 'We have confronted such elements in the past and will continue to do so. We will not back down from our mission to serve the people of this region,' he added.
