QUETTA: Minister for Ports and Shipping Nabil Ahmed Gabol on Sunday lauded the efforts of Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani for making the Gwadar seaport functional.
Addressing as the chief guest at a ceremony in connection with the offloading of the first vessel carrying 30,000 tons urea, imported from Qatar, in Gwadar on Sunday, the minister said the people of Balochistan must be proud of their chief minister, who stood for getting the rights of Balochistan. He commended the chief minister for presenting the sentiments of the people of Balochistan before the president and the prime minister and getting accepted the demands regarding the Gwadar Port. He said the credit of making the Gwadar Port functional goes to Nawab Aslam Raisani, who made sincere efforts for the purpose.
Speaking on the occasion, Raisani said that the Gwadar Port was an asset of Balochistan and "we would neither allow anyone to occupy our resources, nor allow conversion of Baloch into a minority." He said the agreement concluded with a Singapore company would be reviewed and amended if necessary. "We want an agreement which promotes and protects the interests of Balochistan," he added.
He said that all the federating units must get their provincial rights in the light of 1940's Lahore Resolution. "Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was the only politician who could maintain the federating units intact. But now she is no more among us and it is the responsibility of the federal government to keep intact and strengthen the federating units by granting rights of the provinces in the light of the 1940's resolution," he said.
The chief minister expressed his anger over non-local labourers offloading urea from the vessel and directed concerned officials to provide such jobs to the local youth. He said that his government had made efforts for making the port functional in order to give opportunities to the local people and directed the MPA from Gwadar to see that jobs were provided to local people in the port city. "If we cannot benefit the local people by making functional the mega project, then it would be useless."
He said that his government was taking initiatives for granting control to the local people over their resources and granting their rights in the province. The chief minister thanked the president, the PM and Nabil Gabol for taking personal interest in making the seaport functional.
He said that Gwadar deep seaport had not only regional significance, but also it had international importance in view of its geostrategic location. He said that the development of the area would continue and he himself would supervise the overall progress of the coastal areas of the province.
Chairman GPA admiral (retd) Ehsan Saeed and representative of Singapore Company Khurram Abbas also spoke on the occasion.
Balochistan Ministers Younas Mullazai, Asim Kurd Gailu and Hammal Kalmati, district Nazim Gwadar Abdul Ghafoor Kalmati, district coordination officer-DCO Gwadar Noor-ul-Amin Mengal and other senior officials were also present.
Meanwhile, an official handout of the provincial DPR issued here on Sunday night quoting the GPA said that 11 more vessels would be anchored at the Gwadar Port by December 31, 2008, which would increase economic and trade activities in coastal areas, including Gwadar and on the coastal highway in the province.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani on Sunday directed concerned officials and project directors to complete the ongoing Singhar and New Town housing schemes within the stipulated time.
The chief minister issued the directive while presiding over a meeting of the Board of Directors of Singhar and New Town Housing Schemes in Gwadar on Sunday. He directed them to correct the irregularities and flaws committed in the past while carrying out work on the housing schemes in Gwadar.
He said a ban on allotment of residential plots of these housing schemes was imposed due to illegal allotments and the government would lift the ban after regulating all affairs of the schemes in line with the laws and regulations. He said that in future the allotment of plots would be made only in accordance with the law and rules.
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