Ninth CPEC working group meeting on Gwadar considers expanding Friendship Hospital to 300 beds

ISLAMABAD: The ninth meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Gwadar’s development under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was held in Beijing and Islamabad. It reviewed the progress, priorities and future course of action on ongoing, completed and future development projects in Gwadar.

The meeting was co-chaired by Dr Muhammad Tahir Noor, Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, for Pakistan, and Mr Pan Jiang, Director General of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), for China. Officials of the relevant federal ministries and departments, and Chinese officials and experts, attended. Director General of the Gwadar Development Authority Moinur Rehman Khan and Director General Operations of the Gwadar Port Authority Dawood Kalmati joined through video link. Senior officials of the commercial wing of the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad were also present.

Pakistani and Chinese officials briefed the meeting on their respective sectors and projects. The progress of completed, under-construction and proposed CPEC projects in Gwadar was reviewed. The progress and usefulness of the Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute (PCTVI), the GDA Pak-China Friendship Hospital and the 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD) seawater desalination plant were also considered.

Chinese officials express satisfaction, pledge continued cooperation

Chinese officials expressed satisfaction with the performance of the social and economic projects completed in Gwadar and the direct benefits they bring to the local population. They said they were pleased that projects completed with China’s help, including the Technical and Vocational Institute, the Friendship Hospital and the 1.2 MGD desalination plant, were providing practical facilities to citizens. They pledged that China would continue to support Gwadar’s social and economic development and that new projects would keep being considered in light of local needs.

New GDA proposals

The meeting considered the GDA’s future proposals. These included expanding the Pak-China Friendship Hospital and raising its capacity from 100 to 300 beds, setting up a medical and nursing college, and other proposals related to health and education. Proposals for a modern fish landing jetty, a fish harbour and a boat-making industry at West Bay/Padi Zar were also considered. They aim to give the fishing sector modern facilities, create new job and business opportunities for fishermen and strengthen the local economy. A proposal for a Gwadar Smart Environment Sanitation System and Landfill Project was also included.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of several projects. These included Gwadar Port and the Free Zone, East Bay Expressway Phase-II, construction of the breakwater, dredging of berthing areas and channels, the port’s connectivity with the country’s economic centres, and link roads from the M-8 Motorway and the Mineral Corridor to Gwadar.

The Gwadar Port Authority briefed the meeting on the port’s current operational situation, Gwadar Free Zone Phase-I and Phase-II, and future needs. The meeting also discussed steps to increase cargo and transit trade through Gwadar Port in view of the US-Iran war, promote investment in the free zone and expand industrial activity.

It was stressed that Gwadar’s development under CPEC should not be limited to the port and trade, but linked to health, education, water, employment, civic facilities and local economic activity, so that people benefit directly. It was agreed to consider the proposed new projects further and to take steps for their formal approval by the relevant forums. The meeting pledged to speed up, through mutual consultation, the process of turning Gwadar into a modern port, urban and economic hub.

Photo: courtesy DGPR Balochistan