QCCI urges re-allotment of lands in Gwadar

Demands cancelation of illegal allocation of plots, preference for local industrialists


Mohammad Zafar January 15, 2019
A general view of the Pakistani coastal town of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea in this March 19, 2007. PHOTO: REUTERS

QUETTA: The Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industries (QCCI) on Monday urged the government to re-allot the lands to local industrialists in the proposed Gwadar Industrial Zone, demanding an end to illegal allocation of plots in the area.

In a joint statement, QCCI President Jumma Khan Badezai, Senior Vice President Salahuddin Khilji and VP Yaseen Raisani said that the provincial government was neglecting local industrialists and business community in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

They lamented that their demands regarding the project were not accepted despite approaching the government several times.
“Lands in the proposed Gwadar Industrial Zone were being allotted to outsiders while local traders were sidelined from major investment opportunities,” they said.

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The QCCI called for immediate cancellation of illegal land allotments in the zone, adding that the authorities concerned should hold an investigation as plots were allotted to ‘outsiders’ lacking any business background.

The economy cannot be boosted if the local industrialists and businesspersons are neglected in the corridor project, they said.

On January 12, the federal finance minister said that a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Gwadar was being developed but it would take some time.

The minister was addressing members of the business community during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).

He said both the federal and provincial governments had agreed to work in the meantime on the existing industrial estate in Hub area and all infrastructure facilities, including 1,200 megawatts of electricity, would be provided.

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In addition, Pakistan is likely to sign a number of investment deals, including the construction of a multi-billion-dollar oil refinery in the port city of Gwadar, during a visit of the Saudi crown prince next month.

This was revealed by Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday.
Moreover, during the past week, the Senate Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs endorsed its sub-committee’s recommendation to make the entire Gwadar city a tax-free zone.

Recommendations were presented in a report by sub-committee convener Senator Kauda Babar to the Senate panel with Senator Nuzhat Sadiq in the chair. All of the recommendations have been given the green light.

The Senate committee also endorsed the suggestion that investors in Gwadar should be facilitated like those in other special economic and export processing zones.

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