Latest news with #Gwadar
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Mystery of country's most expensive airport that has no planes or passengers
With no passengers and no planes, Pakistan's newest and most expensive airport is a bit of a mystery. Entirely financed by China to the tune of $240 million, it's anyone's guess when New Gwadar International Airport will open for business. Located in the coastal city of Gwadar and completed in October 2024, the airport is a stark contrast to the impoverished, restive southwestern Balochistan province around it. For the past decade, China has poured money into Balochistan and Gwadar as part of a multibillion dollar project that connects its western Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea, called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. Authorities have hailed it as transformational but there's scant evidence of change in Gwadar. The city isn't connected to the national grid — electricity comes from neighboring Iran or solar panels — and there isn't enough clean water. An airport with a 400,000 passenger capacity isn't a priority for the city's 90,000 people. 'This airport is not for Pakistan or Gwadar,' said Azeem Khalid, an international relations expert who specializes in Pakistan-China ties. 'It is for China, so they can have secure access for their citizens to Gwadar and Balochistan.' CPEC has catalyzed a decadeslong insurgency in resource-rich and strategically located Balochistan. Separatists, aggrieved by what they say is state exploitation at the expense of locals, are fighting for independence — targeting both Pakistani troops and Chinese workers in the province and elsewhere. Members of Pakistan's ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination by the government and are denied opportunities available elsewhere in the country, charges the government denies. Pakistan, keen to protect China's investments, has stepped up its military footprint in Gwadar to combat dissent. The city is a jumble of checkpoints, barbed wire, troops, barricades, and watchtowers. Roads close at any given time, several days a week, to permit the safe passage of Chinese workers and Pakistani VIPs. Intelligence officers monitor journalists visiting Gwadar. The city's fish market is deemed too sensitive for coverage. Many local residents are frazzled. 'Nobody used to ask where we are going, what we are doing, and what is your name,' said 76-year-old Gwadar native Khuda Bakhsh Hashim. 'We used to enjoy all-night picnics in the mountains or rural areas." 'We are asked to prove our identity, who we are, where we have come from,' he added. "We are residents. Those who ask should identify themselves as to who they are.' Hashim recalled memories, warm like the winter sunshine, of when Gwadar was part of Oman, not Pakistan, and was a stop for passenger ships heading to Mumbai. People didn't go to bed hungry and men found work easily, he said. There was always something to eat and no shortage of drinking water. But Gwadar's water has dried up because of drought and unchecked exploitation. So has the work. The government says CPEC has created some 2,000 local jobs but it's not clear whom they mean by 'local' — Baloch residents or Pakistanis from elsewhere in the country. Authorities did not elaborate. Gwadar is humble but charming, the food excellent and the locals chatty and welcoming with strangers. It gets busy during public holidays, especially the beaches. Still, there is a perception that it's dangerous or difficult to visit — only one commercial route operates out of Gwadar's domestic airport, three times a week to Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, located at the other end of Pakistan's Arabian Sea coastline. There are no direct flights to Balochistan's provincial capital of Quetta, hundreds of miles inland, or the national capital of Islamabad, even further north. A scenic coastal highway has few facilities. Since the Baloch insurgency first erupted five decades ago, thousands have gone missing in the province — anyone who speaks up against exploitation or oppression can be detained, suspected of connections with armed groups, the locals say. People are on edge; activists claim there are forced disappearances and torture, which the government denies. Hashim wants CPEC to succeed so that locals, especially young people, find jobs, hope and purpose. But that hasn't happened. 'When someone has something to eat, then why would he choose to go on the wrong path," he said. 'It is not a good thing to upset people.' Militant violence declined in Balochistan after a 2014 government counterinsurgency and plateaued toward the end of that decade, according to Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. Attacks picked up after 2021 and have climbed steadily since. Militant groups, especially the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, were emboldened by the Pakistani Taliban ending a ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Security concerns delayed the inauguration of the international airport. There were fears the area's mountains — and their proximity to the airport — could be the ideal launchpad for an attack. Instead, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang hosted a virtual ceremony. The inaugural flight was off limits to the media and public. Abdul Ghafoor Hoth, district president of the Balochistan Awami Party, said not a single resident of Gwadar was hired to work at the airport, "not even as a watchman.' 'Forget the other jobs, how many Baloch people are at this port that was built for CPEC,' he asked. In December, Hoth organized daily protests over living conditions in Gwadar. The protests stopped 47 days later, once authorities pledged to meet the locals' demands, including better access to electricity and water. No progress has been made on implementing those demands since then. Without local labor, goods or services, there can be no trickle-down benefit from CPEC, said international relations expert Khalid. As Chinese money came to Gwadar, so did a heavy-handed security apparatus that created barriers and deepened mistrust. 'The Pakistani government is not willing to give anything to the Baloch people, and the Baloch are not willing to take anything from the government,' said Khalid.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Government says Pakistan to expand shipping capacity by 600% under maritime overhaul
KARACHI: Pakistan plans to expand its national shipping fleet by 600% over the next three years under a sweeping new initiative to modernize its maritime sector, cut sea freight costs, and reduce dependence on foreign vessels, the country's maritime minister said on Tuesday. The announcement came after a signing ceremony where officials from the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Port Qasim Authority (PQA) inked separate agreements with the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) to finance the fleet expansion and upgrade program. 'This initiative reflects our broader vision to modernize the maritime sector, boost operational efficiency and introduce advanced technologies across all institutions,' Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said according to an official statement. Chaudhry said the expansion would focus on integrating energy-efficient and climate-smart vessels into the state-run fleet to align with Pakistan's national climate goals. He said the plan is aimed at conserving foreign exchange and enabling compliance with global environmental standards. Officials from KPT and PQA said the upgraded fleet would enhance Pakistan's trade connectivity and reduce the environmental impact of sea transport by lowering fuel consumption and emissions. Pakistan is stepping up efforts to strengthen port infrastructure to support international trade. The Maritime Affairs Ministry recently announced plans to expand Gwadar Port's capacity, including the introduction of new shipping lines and a direct ferry service between Gwadar and the Gulf countries, set to improve freight and passenger connectivity with the Gulf region. Pakistan has also offered access to its southern ports to Central Asian countries, positioning itself as a gateway for regional transit commerce under broader corridor agreements and transit trade frameworks.
Arab News
23-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan says stepping up security for Chinese nationals amid CPEC expansion
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ramping up security measures for Chinese nationals across the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday, as Islamabad hopes for expanded bilateral activity and more investment projects under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Launched in 2015, CPEC is an over $60 billion flagship component of China's global Belt and Road Initiative, linking western China to Pakistan's Arabian Sea port of Gwadar through a network of roads, railways, and energy infrastructure. The project is widely seen as a potential economic lifeline for Pakistan but it has also brought Chinese nationals in the crosshairs of separatist militants who believe Beijing is helping Pakistan exploit minerals in the underdeveloped southwestern province of Balochistan, where China has a strategic port and mining interests. Chinese have also faced attacks in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Pakistan's commercial hub of Karachi. In recent months, Beijing has been pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working there, frustrated by the string of attacks on its citizens, particularly a bombing at the Karachi airport last October that killed two Chinese engineers who were returning to work at a power plant. 'Multiple steps are being taken to strengthen the security of Chinese citizens across the country, including Islamabad,' PM Sharif said during a high-level review meeting to review security. 'The Safe City projects are a prime example of this growing capacity. 'In light of CPEC's expansion, the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan has gained even greater importance … We are building a safe and business-friendly environment for the Chinese community in Pakistan.' During the meeting, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed the prime minister on current security arrangements. Officials said 'special security measures are in place' due to terrorism risks and confirmed that all provinces and the federal government were working 'in close coordination.' The briefing noted that Chinese nationals were being provided security escorts while traveling and all new housing developments would include Safe City-grade surveillance infrastructure. Sharif also directed relevant ministries to prioritize Chinese passenger facilitation at airports. After building a string of energy and infrastructure projects since CPEC was first launched in 2015, CPEC Phase II focuses on industrial cooperation and socio-economic development, aiming to enhance industrial capacity, agricultural development and social well-being in Pakistan. This phase also emphasizes job creation, technology transfer and increased export capacity by boosting connectivity. It is expected to be completed in stages, with the development of manufacturing and processing industries envisioned by 2025, and further expansion by 2030.
Arab News
18-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan mulls routes as it eyes new ferry service between Gwadar and Gulf region
KARACHI: Pakistan has been mulling routes for a ferry service it plans to launch to connect its southwestern Gwadar port with the Gulf region, the country's maritime affairs ministry said on Friday. The statement came after a meeting presided over by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry to review matters relating to the proposed ferry service. Officials at the meeting reviewed technical and financial aspects of ferry operations, according to the ministry. Five privately-owned firms submitted their proposals, showing growing interest of the private sector. 'The ferry service will promote regional connectivity and trade,' Chaudhry was quoted as saying by his ministry. 'It is expected to ease movement of passengers and goods from Gulf countries.' Gwadar, situated along the Arabian Sea, lies at the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), under which Beijing has funneled tens of billions of dollars into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan. Pakistani officials say the geostrategic location of the southwestern Pakistani coastal town in the Balochistan province offers the shortest trade route to the Gulf and landlocked Central Asian states, highlighted its potential as a regional transshipment hub. During the meeting, Chaudhry telephoned Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and discussed provincial cooperation with him, according to the maritime affairs ministry. Bugti assured his full cooperation for the project. 'The ferry service will highlight Gwadar on the international maritime map,' Chaudhry added. The development comes amid Pakistan's efforts to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade as it slowly recovers from a macroeconomic crisis under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program. The country also plans to cut container dwell time at its seaports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness and ease congestion, while it last month reduced port charges for exporters by 50 percent at the second largest Port Qasim.
Arab News
16-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Senior Pakistan general pledges deeper strategic ties with China at PLA anniversary
KARACHI: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to further strengthening ties with China, while addressing a ceremony marking the 98th founding day of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), according to an official statement. Islamabad and Beijing are long-time allies and have jointly pursued multibillion-dollar infrastructure, energy and regional connectivity projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship initiative of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The corridor provides Beijing with direct access to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan's Gwadar port, while enabling Islamabad to modernize infrastructure and boost regional trade. The two countries also maintain close cooperation in defense and security. Earlier this month, India's Deputy Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh, claimed China had provided Pakistan with 'live inputs' during a four-day military conflict with India in May. Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, in an exclusive interview with Arab News last month, described the outcome as a 'victory' that was entirely 'Made in Pakistan.' 'In his address, the CJCSC highlighted the enduring and time-tested 'Iron-clad brotherhood' between Pakistan and China, with shared resolve to broaden and deepen this unique relationship across all domains,' the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. 'He commended PLA's pivotal role under the visionary leadership of His Excellency President Xi Jinping for China's remarkable development and rapid modernization, which has transformed People's Republic of China into a key pillar of peace, stability and prosperity,' the statement added. 'CJCSC highlighted China as a stabilizing factor in the regional security dynamics.' The event, held in Rawalpindi, was attended by a wide cross-section of civilian and military officials, diplomats, media representatives and business leaders. General Mirza also reiterated Pakistan's 'unwavering commitment' to ensuring the security of Chinese nationals working in the country. Thousands of Chinese citizens are employed across dozens of CPEC-linked projects, many of which are located in volatile regions such as Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where separatist and militant groups have repeatedly targeted foreign workers. Chinese nationals have also come under attack in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and commercial capital, prompting authorities to implement tighter security protocols.
