Editorial: Seeking provincial control over Gwadar Port

The Provincial Finance Minister, Mir Asim Kurd, has said that the Provincial Government is seeking complete control over Gwadar Port and operate it under the Provincial Government. Talking to newsmen at the sideline of the PTV Programme on NFC Award, he said that the Chief Minister, Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani, is determined to get maximum provincial autonomy as promised in the Pakistan Resolution of 1940. He also said that the Provincial Government will operate the Reko Dik Copper and Gold Project for which the PC-I is ready. Earlier, the Provincial Government had notified the Board of Governors for the Reko Dik Project, Dr Samar Mubarak Mand, an eminent nuclear scientist, had been made Chairman of the Board of Governors while Additional Chief Secretary, Development, Secretary Finance, Secretary Industries, Secretary Mines and Mineral Development, President of the Balochistan Mine Owners Association had been made member of the Board of Governors.

Mir Asim Kurd said that Balochistan is very rich in mineral and other resources and it can earn more revenue than the oil rich Iran. He said that Gwadar Port will be made operational completely ensuring a sizable revenue. The Provincial Finance Minister did not talk about the future plans to complete the Gwadar Port Project first. The Port lacked all the modern facilities and the Singapore Port Authority had failed to fulfill its commitments it made while getting the contract. Earlier, the former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz awarded the contract to the Dubai Port Authority. Later on the former President, Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf cancelled the contract and award the Port to the Singapore Port Authority embarrassing his Prime Minister who was also the Chief Executive. Our advice to the honourable Provincial Minister for Finance is that the Government should be asked to complete the entire Gwadar Port Project first and later on take it over or operate it fully and on commercial basis. Let the Commercial shipping Companies should decide to bring the cargo to Gwadar instead of diverting the cargo of Karachi Port to Gwadar. This artificial system will not work forever.