Special marine battalion to protect Gwadar Port, Chinese engineers

Pakistan Navy increases all-round surveillance at Gwadar Port with commencement of CPEC project

Pakistan Navy has increased all-round surveillance at Gwadar Port with the commencement of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday.

"A special Marine Battalion has been raised for security of Gwadar, Chinese engineers and delegates visiting the port," a Pakistan Navy said.



"Gwadar, the main destination of the CPEC, will be linked with China's western region through a rail and road network," the spokesperson added. He further asserted that Gwadar Port is the 'backbone' of CPEC and the Pakistan Navy making strenuous efforts for ensuring comprehensive security for foreigners as well as locals.

The CPEC has been termed a window of opportunity for the country to boost its economy and is set to become an economic hub connecting the Middle East with Central Asia.



Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last month inaugurated the western corridor of the multibillion-dollar CPEC as he broke ground on upgradation of two vital arteries, Zhob-Mughal Kot (N-50) and Qila Saifullah-Wagum (N-70).

The CPEC is a 3,000-kilometer network of roads, railways and pipelines to transport oil and gas from Gwadar Port to Kashgar city, northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Proposed by Chinese prime minister during his visit to Pakistan in May 2013, the CPEC will act as a bridge for the new Maritime Silk Route that envisages linking three billion people in Asia, Africa and Europe. An official agreement on the corridor was signed between the two countries in May this year during Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic visit to Pakistan.