The Senate Standing Committee on Development and Planning has expressed concerns over the failure to fully utilize the Gwadar International Port and the timely completion of none of the nine special economic zones. It also recommended providing incentives to builders and developers in Gwadar without violating the IMF agreement.
The committee was told that the special economic zones are not linked to the CPEC route, while higher port charges compared to Iran’s Chabahar port, management and security issues are hindering the development of Gwadar port.
The committee members expressed serious concerns over the non-activation of the special economic zones and the failure to fully utilize the commercial benefits of Gwadar port. Chairperson Quratul Ain Marri said that builders and developers should be attracted to develop Gwadar port.
The Secretary Planning said that it is not possible to provide tax incentives under the IMF program, we should not even mention this. Minister of State for Planning Chaudhry Armaghan Subhani said that if the Gwadar project had been fully implemented, it would have been a game changer, we need to build very good relations with China.
The committee has sought a briefing on the development of the entire Gwadar and a plan for special incentives for tourism in the next meeting. Details of the measures taken by the provincial government for Gwadar have also been sought.
