CPEC is Transforming The Least Developed Parts of Pakistan

In a New York Times Op Ed titled "How Not to Engage With Pakistan",  ex US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard G. Olson says "Its (CPEC's) magnitude and its transformation of parts of Pakistan dwarf anything the United States has ever undertaken".  Olson goes on to warn the Trump Administration that "Without Pakistani cooperation, our (US) army in Afghanistan risks becoming a beached whale".

Among the parts of Pakistan being transformed by China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are some of the least developed regions in Balochistan and Sindh, specifically Gwadar and Thar Desert. Here is more on these regions:

Gwadar Port City:

Gwadar is booming. It's being called the next Shenzhen by some and the next Hong Kong by others as an emerging new port city in the region to rival Dubai. Land prices in Gwadar are skyrocketing, according to media reports. Gwadar Airport air traffic growth of 73% was the fastest of all airports in Pakistan where overall air traffic grew by 23% last year, according to Anna Aero publication.  A new international airport is now being built in Gwadar to handle soaring passenger and cargo traffic.




In addition to building a major seaport that will eventually handle 300-400 million tons of cargo in a year, China has built a school, sent doctors and pledged about $500 million in grants for an airport, hospital, college and badly-needed water supply infrastructure for Gwadar, according to Reuters.

400 Km Long Kachhi Canal From Punjab to Balochistan

The Chinese grants include $230 million for a new international airport in Gwadar, one of the largest such disbursements China has made abroad, according to researchers and Pakistani officials.

New development work in Gwadar is expected to create as many as 20,000 jobs for the local population.

Steel Bridges on Multan-Qila Saifullah Section of Highway N-70 Connecting Punjab and Balochistan. Source: Dawn

Thar Desert:

Thar, one of the least developed regions of Pakistan, is seeing unprecedented development activity in energy and infrastructure projects.  New roads, airports and buildings are being built along with coal mines and power plants as part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). There are construction workers and machinery visible everywhere in the desert. Among the key beneficiaries of this boom are Thari Hindu women who are being employed by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) as part of the plan to employ locals. Highlighted in recent news reports are two Hindu women in particular: Kiran Sadhwani, an engineer and Gulaban, a truck driver.

Kiran Sadhwani, a Thari Hindu Woman Engineer. Source: Express Tribune

Thar Population:

The region has a population of 1.6 million. Most of the residents are cattle herders. Majority of them are Hindus.  The area is home to 7 million cows, goats, sheep and camel. It provides more than half of the milk, meat and leather requirement of the province. Many residents live in poverty. They are vulnerable to recurring droughts.  About a quarter of them live where the coal mines are being developed, according to a report in The Wire.

Hindu Woman Truck Driver in Thar, Pakistan. Source: Reuters

Some of them are now being employed in development projects.  A recent report talked of an underground coal gasification pilot project near the town of Islamkot where "workers sourced from local communities rested their heads after long-hour shifts".

Hindu Woman Truck Driver in Thar, Pakistan. Source: Reuters 

In the first phase, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) is relocating 5 villages that are located in block II.  SECMC is paying villagers for their homes and agricultural land.

SECMC’s chief executive officer, Shamsuddin Ahmed Shaikh, says his company "will construct model towns with all basic facilities including schools, healthcare, drinking water and filter plants and also allocate land for livestock grazing,” according to thethirdpole.net He says that the company is paying villagers above market prices for their land – Rs. 185,000 ($ 1,900) per acre.

Summary:

Ex US Ambassador Richard Olson is absolutely right in his assessment that "(CPEC's) magnitude and its transformation of parts of Pakistan dwarf anything the United States has ever undertaken".  Olson goes on to warn the Trump Administration that "Without Pakistani cooperation, our (US) army in Afghanistan risks becoming a beached whale". The "magnitude" of CPEC and its "transformation" that Olson refers to is clearly visible in some of the least developed regions of Pakistan in Balochistan and Sindh provinces.  Gwadar port city and Thar desert are humming with unprecedented development activity fueled by billions of dollars of funds allocated by China and Pakistan.  

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Comments

Riaz Haq said…
Gilgit Baltistan, another least developed region in Pakistan, is benefiting from CPEC:

Billions of rupees were being spent on expanding road network for boosting business and tourism activity in Gilgit-Baltistan areas.

This was stated by Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Hafiz Hafeez ur Rehman while talking to a news channel. The present government was working to expand tax and road networks to benefit the people of the area, he said.

A committee had been formed to bring the tax reforms, he said adding Anti-corruption laws was also being implemented in G-B areas.

About 15 to 20 lakh tourists had been visiting the Gilgit-Baltistan, due to peaceful environment restored by the efforts of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), government, he said.

To a question the CM G-B said that an amount of Rs 47,00,000 had been collected through withholding tax.

Appreciating the federal government initiatives, he said that besides Gilgit-Baltistan budget, the Center had also provided 19 billion rupees for special projects and development of the area. Two power projects of 100 mega watt and 80 mega watt capacity, costing 52 billion rupees would be completed through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said.

To another question Hafiz Hafeez ur Rehman said that Gilgit-Skardu road was being completed with the cost of 35 billion rupees. More than 100 billion rupees was being invested to link and expand road networks, he added.

Completion of roads would reduce the distance besides save the precious time of the people travelling from Gilgit to Islamabad, he said. A regional grid station would also be built in near future, he added.


https://pakobserver.net/billions-rupees-spent-expand-road-network-gilgit-baltistan-chief-minister/
Riaz Haq said…
CPEC to open development era for KP’s southern districts

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Federal Minister for Housing and Works Akram Khan Durrani has said that the multi-billion project of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would usher in new era of economic progress and prosperity in the southern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Talking in a meeting with elders on the occasion of a wedding ceremony of a renowned social worker here, the minister said that southern district which had long been awaiting development-oriented measures were included into development projects under the CPEC in wake of efforts of the party’s chief Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman.

He said the mega project featured establishment of industrial zones at designated places all along the route besides other billions of dollars worth development schemes.

He said that industrial zones would bring economic prosperity to southern districts of KP and generate job opportunities for its people who had long been ignored by other political parties.

He said with construction of the route, people of the area would have access to modern facilities of life.

He said the CPEC would promote trade ties with neighbouring countries Central Asian States and South Asian countries, which would ultimately prepare the ground to make Pakistan a trade hub in this whole region.

He said CPEC project involved billions of dollars worth development schemes and would bring prosperity not only for the two countries but for the region as well, adding this mega project would create job opportunities and the country would move ahead on the path of progress and development.

Referring to the FATA merger issue, the federal minister said that future of FATA should be decided in line with wishes and aspirations of tribal people.

He said that Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman was struggling to achieve bright future for the people of tribal belt and had always stressed the need to keep in view interests and rights of the tribal people.

He said FATA people had rendered supreme sacrifices for the sake of the country so decisions may not be imposed against their will and aspirations.

He also said the revival of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) was a welcome sign and would supplement efforts for strengthening democracy in the country.


https://www.brecorder.com/2017/12/27/389322/cpec-to-open-development-era-for-kps-southern-districts/
Riaz Haq said…
The Gilgit-Baltistan Working Development Party (GBWDP) approved on Wednesday several mega projects worth millions of rupees for uplift of different sectors to provide better services to people. The meeting reviewed scores of development schemes and approved key projects for departments of Home, Social Welfare, Education and Energy with special focus on improving socio-economic conditions of the masses besides providing quality services. To effectively tackle aftereffects of natural calamities, a mega project of Rs100 million is to be completed and two schemes costing Rs240 million for tourism, sports and culture departments have been approved.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1605446/2-g-b-approves-economic-uplift-plan/

GILGIT, Pakistan: Gilgit Baltistan (GB) registered 25 percent increase in domestic and foreign tourists last year due to significant improvement in the security, law and order situation in the province.

The growth in foreign and domestic tourists that visited different areas of GB had increased by 25% as compared to last year owing to effective measures taken by the government to improve law and order situation in the province, official sources in GB Tourism Department told the state-run news agency on Friday.

The official said arrival of 1.75 million international and 38.8 million domestic tourists to Pakistan, successful holding of Peace Cup 2017 in Miranshah North Waziristan Agency, Asia Peace Festival, Pakistan Motorcar Rally from Khunjrab to Gwadar and PSL Final in Lahore, establishment of Counter Terrorism Force and rehabilitation of Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) have clearly showed that peace and normalcy was fully returned to the Country besides enhanced its soft image of being tourists and sports loving Country.

The official said tourism was the most important sector where people can knew about each others’ culture, customs, traditions and civilizations besides earned valuable foreign exchange for the Country. He said Pakistan’s foreign missions and overseas Pakistanis can play a key role in promoting tourism in the Country especially in GB and assured full cooperation in this regard.

https://dnd.com.pk/gilgit-baltistan-registered-25-more-tourists-in-2017/137555
Riaz Haq said…
China Outbidding US For Pakistan’s Future – Analysis

https://www.eurasiareview.com/11012018-china-outbidding-us-for-pakistans-future-analysis/

Trump has accelerated the process of deteriorating relations at breakneck speeds, and China is well-poised to pick up the replace the U.S. as Pakistan’s global backer. It’s not just the tweet or fraying of diplomatic relations, but the lack of concerted effort to secure Pakistan as a partner as U.S. interests are drowned out by other powers.

As Trump works on “Making America Great Again,” China is literally building inroads to become West Asia’s hegemon.

During Trump’s short tenure, his administration has overseen the rapid retrenchment of U.S. power from West Asia and the Middle East: Trump has relinquished Iraq to Iran, stepped back on the Iranian nuclear deal, withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, retreated from a meaningful part in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process, and now is seemingly turning its back its alliance with Pakistan.

Both economically and militarily, China is successfully implementing a plan to outbid the U.S. for Pakistan’s future.

According to John Fei, an independent consultant who has previously served as a manager to John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Asia Security Initiative, China views Pakistan as a vital part of a larger initiative to establish a globally dominant economy.

“China’s interests in Pakistan dovetail closely with its Belt and Road Initiative. Through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China will be able to exert economic influence and gain a strategic foothold in the region.”

The Belt and Road Initiative is a massive project spanning nearly the entire world, and involves China forging accessible trade routes between China and countless other countries. Part of that initiative is CPEC, a $62 billion investment in Pakistan’s infrastructure to facilitate China’s economic agenda.

In other words, China is essentially reworking Pakistan’s entire infrastructure and economy so that it is routed to China. The project not only promises to fundamentally reshape the world economy around China, but it also spells danger for the U.S., which risks losing leverage over countries that could simply sign on to China’s economic world vision.

CPEC also looks to renovate Pakistan’s businesses, agriculture, defence and telecommunications, and societal structures. In the words of Firstposts’ Tara Kartha, “The currency was the last bastion of the Pakistani state that remained inviolate. It seems that this is now about to be breached.”

According to Fei, now that CPEC is well underway and Pakistan has adopted the Chinese yuan, it no longer needs the U.S. dollar to conduct international trade.

China has quickly become Pakistan’s most critical trade partner, importing far more from China ($17.2 billion) than the closest competitor, the U.S. ($2.1 billion). China has also rapidly rose through the ranks to become Pakistan’s second-largest export destination, just behind the U.S.

So while Trump attempts to revitalize the U.S. economy by ‘bringing jobs back,’ and advocating for a kind of anti-globalist isolationism, he has largely remained silent on the slow leaching of critical U.S. assets abroad which bolster the American economy.
Riaz Haq said…

Dubai vs Gwadar: port cities chart a course for share of world’s economy

By Ashraf Aboul-Yazid and 3 collaborators

https://www.wikitribune.com/story/2018/01/11/pakistan/dubai-vs-gwadar-port-cities-chart-a-course-for-share-of-worlds-economy/30686/

A strategic port at the confluence of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in southern Pakistan is continuing to push its rival megaports in the United Arab Emirates, pitting the lesser-known Gwadar against Dubai in a bid to move goods faster and more cheaply to some of the most populated countries of the world.

“Many economic analysts believe that Gwadar is another Dubai emerging on the world’s map,” said Tariq al-Shammari, a writer and self-described activist, who wrote about the expansion of the Pakistani port for OpenDemocracy, a UK-based political website. “Gwadar port will become the main sea gate for Central Asia.”

As it becomes easier to send goods through Gwadar, Dubai may see a threat to its regional influence, al-Shammari said.

“This challenging point, recently, has caused a silent economic war in the Gulf of Oman between two groups of countries; Pakistan, China and Qatar on one side, India and the UAE on the other,” he wrote.

How the ports stack up

Dubai’s two major commercial ports — Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali — provide significant revenue to the UAE. Jebel Ali has the biggest man-made harbor in the world and the biggest Middle East port, and more than 5,000 companies from 120 countries rely on its services for goods ranging from consumer items to heavy construction machinery.

Gwadar’s deep sea port is strategically located to provide easier access to the Gulf region and the Middle East for China, especially the northwest Xinjiang region, and central Asia countries. The overland distance from Gwadar to Kashgar, in China, is 1,500 miles, while it is another 2,500 miles to move across China to Shanghai. Cargo ships have to move double the distance, again, to reach the Middle East waters.

The Gwadar corridor will reduce the transport time for goods to Western China by about 60 or 70 per cent, according to Liu Ying, a research fellow at the Chongyang Institute who studied the economics of the port (The Telegraph).

China’s influence

The Gwadar port is a key project in China’s One Belt, One Road initiative (South China Morning Post), which seeks to build strong economic connections between China and the countries along the old Silk Road – and well beyond.

Gwadar was built with financial and technical assistance from China, which took operational control after the Port of Singapore Authority pulled out of a 40-year port management and development contract because it was unable to get the land it sought to develop a free trade zone. The Gwadar port had been unable to become fully operational because of unsettled issues between Islamabad and the port authority.

The pivot to China “will also enable the dragon to swim in the Indian Ocean, which is strategically important for China as it expands its influence across the region, according to The National, a newspaper based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

“To ensure the security of shipments along existing routes, a Chinese naval presence at Gwadar could also patrol the Indian Ocean sea lanes. Of concern to Washington and New Delhi is the Chinese naval presence near the Strait of Hormuz and its strategy of building a ‘string of pearls’ presence on the Indian Ocean rim,” the newspaper reported.

The Gwadar Development Authority is working on developing residential and commercial areas at the port, spurring growth in real estate and services. As observers note, some of the projects mirror those in Dubai, of which it may always be more of “sister city,” than a true rival (The Express Tribune).
Riaz Haq said…
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > OPINION
‘Constructive cooperation’
By M Ziauddin Published: January 13, 2018

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1607164/6-constructive-cooperation/

Without disagreeing with the main argument by President Trump for suspending security assistance to Pakistan, The New York Times editorial on January 6th had come up with a sane suggestion that the president “…marshal other diplomatic tools, to see if more constructive cooperation with Pakistan is possible.” Stressing the point further, the editorial made an even saner and timely proposal that the president “harness his new friendship with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to shut down Haqqani and other Taliban fund-raising efforts in the Persian Gulf.”

The argument that the bulk of funding that the Haqqanis and other Taliban factions have been receiving all these years is coming from Saudi Arabia and the UAE has never been in doubt. The regional currency market operators have been processing these transactions like normal business for ages without batting an eye.

During Pakistan’s ‘lost decade’ of the 1990s the real rulers of the day had used these funds to finance their military operations as well as their efforts at governance. These flows have continued even after 9/11 but this time these funds have been going straight to the Afghan Taliban, including Haqqanis fleeing to safe sanctuaries in Pakistan in the aftermath of second Afghan war which is now in its 17th year.

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So, if the US wants to see a quick end to the Haqqanis and other Taliban factions using Pakistani soil to launch their murderous operations inside Afghanistan, it will have to persuade Saudi Arabia and the UAE to effectively move against these fund raisers in their respective countries and forcibly turn off the clandestine tap that is sustaining the firepower of Haqqanis.

------------

And those in the US who believe Pakistan has effectively bribed the international community with the spectre that any instability could result in terrorists getting their hands on Pakistani nuclear technology, fissile materials, or a weapon are totally off the mark as well. It is not Pakistan but these misguided US political pundits who have cultivated a global fear that Pakistan is too dangerous to fail.

Indeed, even a complete stoppage of the US aid most of which has come in the form of grant or at concessional rates would not hurt the country’s economy seriously because the US has been siphoning back 99 cents from each of its aid dollar in the shape of consultancy fees, shipping charges and transfer pricing resorted to while importing goods and services from the US as per conditions hidden in the fine print of the aid agreements. So, the Chinese loans if not any more beneficial for Pakistan than the US grants, would not be any less beneficial as well.

Of course, Pakistan would be seriously hurt if the multilateral aid agencies under the influence of the US were to stop offering the country a helping hand in times of economic crises which we experience on a regular basis.
Riaz Haq said…
India Ranks Below China, Pakistan On This World Economic Forum Index
Norway remains the world's most inclusive advanced economy, while Lithuania again tops the list of emerging economies, the World Economic Forum said.

https://www.ndtv.com/business/india-ranks-much-below-china-pakistan-on-wefs-inclusive-development-index-1803140

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Forum_IncGrwth_2018.pdf

Davos: India was today ranked at the 62nd place among emerging economies on an Inclusive Development Index, much below China's 26th position and Pakistan's 47th.

Norway remains the world's most inclusive advanced economy, while Lithuania again tops the list of emerging economies, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said while releasing the yearly index here before the start of its annual meeting, to be attended by several world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

The index takes into account the "living standards, environmental sustainability and protection of future generations from further indebtedness", the WEF said. It urged the leaders to urgently move to a new model of inclusive growth and development, saying reliance on GDP as a measure of economic achievement is fuelling short-termism and inequality.

India was ranked 60th among 79 developing economies last year, as against China's 15th and Pakistan's 52nd position.

The 2018 index, which measures progress of 103 economies on three individual pillars -- growth and development; inclusion; and inter-generational equity -- has been divided into two parts. The first part covers 29 advanced economies and the second 74 emerging economies.

The index has also classified the countries into five sub-categories in terms of the five-year trend of their overall Inclusive Development Growth score -- receding, slowly receding, stable, slowly advancing and advancing.

Despite its low overall score, India is among the ten emerging economies with 'advancing' trend. Only two advanced economies have shown 'advancing' trend.

Among advanced economies, Norway is followed by Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Denmark in the top five.

Small European economies dominate the top of the index, with Australia (9) the only non-European economy in the top 10. Of the G7 economies, Germany (12) ranks the highest. It is followed by Canada (17), France (18), the UK (21), the US (23), Japan (24) and Italy (27).



The top-five most inclusive emerging economies are Lithuania, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Latvia and Poland.

Performance is mixed among BRICS economies, with the Russian Federation ranking 19th, followed by China (26), Brazil (37), India (62) and South Africa (69).

Of the three pillars that make up the index, India ranks 72nd for inclusion, 66th for growth and development and 44th for inter-generational equity.

The neighbouring countries ranked above India include Sri Lanka (40), Bangladesh (34) and Nepal (22). The countries ranked better than India also include Mali, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ghana, Ukraine, Serbia, Philippines, Indonesia, Iran, Macedonia, Mexico, Thailand and Malaysia.

Although China ranks first among emerging economies in GDP per capita growth (6.8 per cent) and labour productivity growth (6.7 per cent) since 2012, its overall score is brought down by lacklustre performance on inclusion, the WEF said. It found that decades of prioritising economic growth over social equity has led to historically high levels of wealth and income inequality and caused governments to miss out on a virtuous circle in which growth is strengthened by being shared more widely and generated without unduly straining the environment or burdening future generations.


Riaz Haq said…
Pakistan, China Jointly Showcase Arabian Sea Gwadar Port

https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-china-jointly-showcase-arabian-sea-gwadar-port/4229612.html

Pakistan and China have jointly organized the first international exhibition to showcase the significance of the Arabian Sea Gwadar Port and its economic free zone as an emerging international business hub.

The warm water deep sea commercial port, which overlooks some of the world’s busiest oil and gas shipping lanes, has been built and recently expanded with Chinese financial assistance.

More than 200 companies from both China and Pakistan were present in Monday’s event at Gwadar, while six Chinese provinces also sent their representatives, said Beijing’s ambassador to Islamabad, Yao Jing, while addressing the ceremony.

Foreign diplomats and business leaders were also invited to the opening session of the two-day event.

Chinese operators of the port say the Gwadar Free Zone shall bring extensive economic benefits, like a tax holiday for 23 years and land lease up to 99 years to the upcoming businesses along with other incentives and pro-business policy frame work for general trade, services, manufacturing, logistics, trans-shipment and bunkering business.

Direct benefit for Pakistan

Gwardar port is to be a trans-shipment hub connected to landlocked western Chinese regions, giving Beijing a secure and shorter international trade route through Pakistan.

Gwadar is celebrated as the gateway to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, a flagship of President Xi Jinping’s global Belt and Road Initiative to build a new “Silk Road” of land and maritime trade routes across more than 60 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Under CPEC, networks of road, communications, rail, economic zones and power plants are being built and upgraded in Pakistan with an estimated Chinese investment of $62 billion.

Around $27 billion in projects are underway or completed, including “early harvest” energy projects, adding much-needed electricity to Pakistan’s national grid.

“I would like to say that the Chinese government will continue to invest and send our input to further support the development of this project. Also, we will encourage Chinese companies and Chinese businessmen to join the development of Gwadar,” vowed Chinese envoy Jing.

Wider benefit planned

During the ceremony, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said CPEC is the “most visible part” of China’s of BRI, saying the mega project will cater not only to the needs of his country, but to the needs of the region.

Officials expect Gwadar’s cargo handling capacity to increase to 1.2 million tonnes by the end of this year and it will be able to process about 13 million tons by 2022, making it the largest port in South Asia.

Chinese partners say they would need around 38,000 skilled workers by 2023 for the Free Zone, according to Dostain Jamaldini, Chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority. He says of the 2,500 current workers, around 500 are Chinese nationals and the rest are locals.

An international airport with a 12,000 meter runway is being constructed in the once sleepy town with a Chinese financial grant of around $300 million.

The Arabian Sea port is located in Pakistan’s largest province of Baluchistan where militant groups, including Islamic State, and a low-level insurgency remain key security challenges to CPEC.

Additionally, the corridor runs through Pakistan-controlled portion of the divided Kashmir region, drawing objections from rival India. The United States suspects China may also turn Gwadar into a military base.

But Chinese officials reject those concerns, maintaining “CPEC is merely an economic cooperation project,” and Islamabad dismisses New Delhi’s opposition as politically motivated.

Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan's #Gilgit-#Baltistan region gets #3G, #4G internet service. #Mobile #Broadband https://tribune.com.pk/story/1631513/1-gilgit-baltistan-gets-3g-4g-internet-service/


Residents in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) can now enjoy 3G and 4G internet service provided by Special Communication Organization (SCO), Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.

An SCO spokesperson confirmed the news, saying the internet service will continue on a trial basis and can be accessed free of cost until further notice.
Internet facility in Gilgit

He said the SCO mobile phone SIMs for this purpose are available at the organisation’s franchises in the area.

Radio Pakistan reported that subscribers have been asked not to pay more than Rs200 after acquiring a receipt for purchasing the Sim.

SCO is a public sector telecommunications service provider, established by the government in 1976. It is responsible for developing, operating and maintaining telecom services in G-B as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan to get 3G/4G services by Feb 2018

In October 2017, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority announced plans of introducing fast-paced information technology services – 3G/4G – in AJK and G-B, which it said would materialise by February this year.

Last year, the number of subscribers of 3G/4G in Pakistan rose to 44.4 million, which PTA expects will rise further.

The arrival of 3G and 4G service in such remote areas promises to boost commerce, bring socio-economic prosperity for the entire region and also benefit people living along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor routes in AJK and G-B.

Pakistan set to outdo India in introducing 5G internet: PTA

As people of AJK and G-B are heavily dependent on remittances, the 3G/4G service will provide them easy access to the financial services.

The technology will also boost tourism, local economy as well as create job opportunities for local people. The hospitality industry and tourism value chain will also improve as it will make online marketing more efficient and effective.
As transportation in the area is also difficult, better connectivity through modern communication technology is important for its people.

Riaz Haq said…
CPEC Western route to be completed by end of this year
By Sehrish WasifPublished: February 12, 2018

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1633076/1-cpec-western-route-completed-end-year/

The western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is going to be completed by the end of this year along with other 11 mega projects which were initiated in 2015-16.

The completion of those projects will reduce travelling time and boost economic activities.

“Hakla-DI Khan having the length 285km with a cost of Rs122 billion and 81km Zhob-Mughalkot costing Rs8.8billion funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will be completed by December 2018,” a senior National Highway Authority (NHA) official told The Express Tribune.

“The completion of these two projects will connect the port city of Gwadar with Quetta by Khuzdar,” he said and added, “With it the western route will become completely functional.”

According to the NHA the under-construction projects – the Hakla to Dera Ismail Khan motorway — is an important part of the western route of CPEC, and will reduce the travel time from Islamabad to DI Khan from five hours to just two-and-a-half hours.

It will greatly help the movement to the country’s southern cities such as Quetta and Gwadar.

Meanwhile, another important project — Khuzdar- Ratodero (151 km) that has been completed at a cost of Rs8.8 billion is all set to be inaugurated this year in April.

This project though is not part of CPEC.

“The significance of this project is that it will provide the much-needed connectivity between Balochistan and Sindh and also facilitate CPEC traffic originating from the Gwadar Port,” said the NHA official.

Other projects include the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) where 95% work has already been completed and will see the finish line in March.

The 136km, the six-lane motorway with the two-lane service road on either side, is being built on the BOT basis at a cost of Rs44 billion.

Being the country’s busiest section with over 30,000 daily traffic count, this motorway will be immensely helpful in catering to the commercial traffic originating from the Karachi Port and the Port Qasim.

Following the recent inauguration of the Lyari Expressway, M-9 will offer an added benefit to commuters to reach their destinations without facing the city congestions.

Gojra-Shorkot (62km) and Shorkot-Khanewal (65km) sections of M-4 are scheduled to complete by August with a cost of Rs17 billion and Rs22 billion, respectively.

Financed jointly by the Asian Development Bank and Government of Pakistan, their completion will reduce travel time from the federal capital to Multan to just 5 hours.

Lahore-Abdulhakim Motorway (230 km) is another important project that is expected to complete by May. Built at a cost of Rs 148 billion, the six-lane motorway will provide a swift and easy route between Lahore and Multan.

CPEC toll income — myth and reality

One of the important links of CPEC and the country’s longest planned motorway, Multan-Sukkur (M-5) is though scheduled to complete in 2019.

Its two sections — Multan to Shujaabad and Pano Aqil to Ghotki — will be completed this year. The 392km-long motorway is being financed by China at a cost of Rs294 billion.

Lahore-Sialkot Motorway (89 km) will be completed on the BOT mode by December at a cost of Rs44 billion. It will link the industrial city of Sialkot with the rest of the country, leading to swift movement of industrial products.

Islamabad Metro Bus (26.5km), another challenging project, is under execution and will be completed by the end of April. The project will link the traffic from the twin cities with the New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA).

Hazara Motorway (E-35) from Burhan to Shah Maqsood Interchange (47km) is already completed and open to traffic. The 15km addition is scheduled to complete by May, thus reducing the distance between Islamabad and Abbottabad to one-and-a-half hours.

The widening and improvement of GT Road section from Thokar Niaz Baig to Hudria Drain (10km) is underway and will be completed this year.
Riaz Haq said…
Thar — The Future of Pakistan

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/307505-thar-the-future-of-pakistan-by-senator-rehman-malik-sitara-e-shujaat-nishan-e-imtiaz

Population of Tharparkar district is around 1.65 million and Thar is spread over both sides of India and Pakistan where the life always remained hard because of the non-availability of sweet water.

The region derives its names from Thar and Parkar. The name Thar is from Thul, the general term for sand region or sand ridges and Parkar literary means “to cross over”. The region was earlier known as Thar and Parkar, later theses became one word, Thar and Parkar coined together and formed a beautiful name Tharparkar.

The people of Thar have been underfed because the area being desert has no reliable irrigation system. The lands, whatsoever, are irrigated on rainwater. Historically, Thar receives low pour but when it receives rains it makes the desert lush green where peacocks dance and sing making the scene most fascinating.

The water is drawn out from deep water wells but that water also contains highest volume of TDH.

The people of Thar used to face various health hazard problems such as waterborne diseases, inadequate health facilities, famine and lack of basic infrastructure. Apart from it, poverty, population growth, lack of clean drinking water, unemployment and high illiteracy had trapped Tharparkar in a state of catastrophe. Therefore, people used to migrate from Thar to revering area to save them and their cattle and those who fail to migrate used to lose their dear ones and cattle, the only source of their livelihood.

Crop failure due to low rainfall, coupled with loss of small animals has greatly reduced the impoverished communities’ purchasing power. Poverty is endemic in the sparsely populated district with acute malnutrition rates in children as high as 20 per cent, well above the emergency threshold of 15 per cent.

The biggest reason perhaps of disease and death in Tharparkar is malnourishment of its mother. It is no secret that Thar people do not have access to clean water, health facilities or food because of which mothers in Tharparkar give births while their hemoglobin level is as low as four.

Death is a regular visitor at the doors of Tharparkar’s mothers. More than 190 children have died and 22,000 have been hospitalized in Tharparkar district in 2016 because of drought-related waterborne and viral diseases. Tharparkar is facing severe drought for the fourth consecutive year, and access to health services is reported to be very difficult, with families travelling an average distance of 17 km to reach the nearest health facility.

Whereas sweet water condition in Tharparkar is worst and access to water is a key problem for the district of Tharparkar, which comprises an area of 22,000 sq km. More than 1.4 million people and about five million heads of livestock live in the area, where annual rainfall averages can be as low as 9mm, and drought is common.

Barely 5 percent of the population has access to a sweet water supply. Even the district capital, Mithi, [only] gets sweet water twice in a month. Laying down water supply lines at high cost is also open to question. Most of the population relies on dug wells. The worst conditions are basically the byproduct of non-availability of basic needs of life. There are deserts in the world, which are now productive and life is more than normal. Just take the example of UAE with total area is 83,600 km and part of UAE is producing oil and gas and rest of the UAE is desert but the good planning and attention has converted the area into a most developed area.

Thar coalfield is located in Thar Desert. The deposits—16th-largest coal reserves in the world, were discovered in 1991 by Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) and the United States Agency for International Development.
Riaz Haq said…
Pakistan Adopting Advance Technologies Rapidly: Anusha Rehman
Daniyal Sohail

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/technology/pakistan-adopting-advance-technologies-rapidl-321642.html

Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rehman Friday said, Pakistan was one of those countries that had been adopting the advance technology most rapidly to counter challenges of modern, digital era.

While addressing the concluding ceremony of five-day "Huawei mobile Pakistan Congress 2018" the minister said, the technology advancements were coming in Pakistan adding "we also hope that we can have huawei made in Pakistan as soon as possible." Anusha said, Ministry of IT had started projects for Baluchistan worth Rs 26 billion to provide 3g service to the people there.

In the history of IT of Pakistan, this was the biggest investment for Balochistan, which aimed to target hundreds of villages to connect these remote areas with 3G service, she added. She said,a population of about 196,177, covering 269 mauzas and an area of 39,434 sq kms would get modern broadband facilities through this project.

The project would cover Awaran, Jhal Jao and Mashkai tehsils/sub-tehsils of Awaran district and Bela, Lakhra, Liari, Uthal, Dureji, Hub, Sonmiani and Kanraj of Lasbel district, she added. The Minister said, after launching 3G services in Baluchistan, other services like careem would be start in in the province which would be a great achievement of Ministry of Information Technology.

She emphasized the importance of technological advancement and virtual assistance for the generations to come to bring this nation on path of Technology evolution and prosperity. "Government is making all out efforts to introduce 5G technology in Pakistan by 2020 to bring it at par with Developed economies in term of technology advancements." She emphasized that women's economic empowerment was at the heart of the sustainable development and essential to achieve gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth.

She shared initiatives steered by IT ministry in this regard, particularly ICT for Girls program. She said, achievements of Pakistan in the arena of ICT and future plans for continued growth in this sector would enable transformation into "Digital Pakistan".

Anusha described the DigiSkills program as an important part of Information Technology initiative of the government that would create online employment opportunities to enable youth to earn 200 to 300 dollars per month and with the help of this program, youth from across the country would provide services across the globe.

She appreciated the Huawei Technology role in setting such precedent to promote emerging technologies in Pakistan by involving Industry players and engaging the Government to make it reality. The Minister hoped that people of Pakistan were going to use the opportunities that were created by Huawei, the technology giant.
Riaz Haq said…
Rural Pakistanis Take to Solar After Power Cuts Deepen in Karachi
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Small-scale solar in Pakistan attracted $540 million in 2017, having received less than $100 million in each of the previous two years, according to a report published last month by the United Nations and and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Solar and wind energy contributed 3 percent to Pakistan’s electricity generation, or about 300 megawatts as of March, according to Arif Habib Ltd.

“Pakistan is one of the biggest frontier markets that has not been tapped,” Jeremy Higgs, co-founder at EcoEnergy, said during a trip to southern Pakistan.

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https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2018-04-26/rural-pakistanis-take-to-solar-as-power-cuts-deepen-in-karachi

Solar companies have made inroads into Pakistan’s countryside
Blackouts are still common despite a rise in power generation
In a small tea shop along a dusty, unpaved road in the marketplace of Sujawal, a town about 93 miles east of Karachi in Pakistan, Imam Dino has hit upon a profitable idea. He attracts customers with a 24-inch television playing Bollywood movies through the day and by providing mobile phone charging sockets in a town that otherwise suffers long outages.

Power for the TV and charging points comes from a solar-panel system that he rents for 2,500 rupees ($22) a month. It’s been a sound investment. Dino makes as much as 3,000 rupees extra a month because of the attractions. Previously, he spent more to run a gasoline generator.

Rural Pakistanis like Dino are increasingly turning to renewable energy to circumvent the country’s notoriously unreliable power supply. Deficient generation and distribution shave an estimated 2 percentage points off Pakistan’s economic growth annually and faults in the national grid are exposed every summer as demand increases. That’s despite a rise in generation by 35 percent to 31,000 megawatts since 2013.

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As customers like Dino are discovering, off-grid solar may be the answer. With global panel prices plummeting in the past five years, units powering fans and lights are being sold or rented in the nation’s poorest regions for 1,000 rupees to 3,000 rupees a month, according to distributors EcoEnergy and Nizam Energy. About 10,000 solar systems have been installed since 2013 ranging in size from 50 watts to 200 watts, enough to power six light bulbs and two fans.

One of EcoEnergy’s customers, Mohammad Ishaque, who farms sunflower and rice fields, pays 1,000 rupees a month for a 50-watt solar system. He previously used oil lamps and battery-powered torches.

“When we went for farming in the morning, it used to be completely dark, when we came back it used to be dark,” Ishaque, 69, said while smoking a cigarette and sheltering from the midday sun in the small village of Gul Muhammad Rao. “It’s daytime at night now.”

Meanwhile, at Nizam Energy’s office in Karachi, Chief Executive Officer Usman Ahmed boasts they aren’t crippled by the city’s shortages. Their headquarters is powered partially by solar panels on the roof, which he says is 30 percent cheaper than electricity from the grid. The off-grid market may double annually over the next three years, he said.

Back in Sujawal, Dino is happy with his returns.

“We are making more money, so it’s been great,” he said, as he mixed tea over burning coals for a packed room. Across the road, a competing tea shop with no electricity was empty.






Rural Pakistanis Take to Solar After Power Cuts Deepen in Karachi
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Small-scale solar in Pakistan attracted $540 million in 2017, having received less than $100 million in each of the previous two years, according to a report published last month by the United Nations and and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Solar and wind energy contributed 3 percent to Pakistan’s electricity generation, or about 300 megawatts as of March, according to Arif Habib Ltd.

“Pakistan is one of the biggest frontier markets that has not been tapped,” Jeremy Higgs, co-founder at EcoEnergy, said during a trip to southern Pakistan.

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Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan PM Abbasi, COAS Bajwa inaugurate new markets and bus terminals in Miranshah in #Waziristan #FATA. #Afghanistan border crossing Ghulam Khan, 3rd crossing after #Chaman, #Torkham inaugurated

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/north-waziristan-pm-abbasi-coas-bajwa-inaugurate-new-markets-bus-terminals-and-logistics-cell-terminal-in-miramshah/

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa made a joint visit to Miramshah in North Waziristan on Monday, where they inaugurated new markets, bus terminals and the Ghulam Khan National Logistics Cell (NLC) terminal.

Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and Corps Commander Peshawar accompanied the top civil and military leaders during the visit.

“Miramshah is the gateway to Central Asia,” said the prime minister while addressing a gathering of tribal elders. “People of FATA should have access to the same facilities as enjoyed by people of Lahore and other Pakistanis.”

“Government and all political parties are serious in bringing FATA into the national mainstream,” PM Abbasi reiterated. “Work for bringing FATA into the national mainstream is seeing rapid development.”


The elders of the Utmanzai tribe urged the government to fulfill all the promises made to the affectees of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. “The government should give reasonable compensation to the affected traders, shopkeepers and house owners,” the tribal leaders maintained.

The Monday’s visit of PM Abbasi and COAS Bajwa comes a week after a jirga was held in Miranshah to discuss the prevailing issue pertaining to compensation of shopkeepers whose businesses were affected by the military operation.


According to a political agent of North Waziristan Agency (NWA), it was decided that the committee of affected shopkeepers shall make an estimate of the amount that needs to be compensated.

“The same shall be processed in the administrative chain for its speedy implementation,” he said.

The Fata additional chief secretary, PA, Assistant PA, Anjuman Tajiran Pakistan President Ajmal Baloch, NWA GOC, civil and military officials, and the Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor attended the jirga.

The military spokesman said there exists no issue that cannot be resolved through talks. He added that residents of the tribal areas had joined hands with the forces to make great sacrifices for the establishment of peace, adding that operations conducted by the armed forces had eliminated terrorism.

“The resolution of problems faced by citizens is the first priority of the state,” said Major-General Gahfoor while stressing that he would not let the country’s peace be put at stake by enemies of the state.

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor

@OfficialDGISPR
Brave tribes of FATA have achieved peace & stability after lot of hardships & sacrifices. Restoration of normal life after kinetic operation is part of ‘clear-hold-build-transfer’ strategy. State including security forces is committed to rehabilitate the affected population.

However, after years of living as temporarily displaced persons, they have now returned home to a peaceful North Waziristan, free from militants, weapons and fear.
Riaz Haq said…
Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata) Development Authority has completed seven small dams and 13 small irrigation schemes since 2004 to till date.

https://nation.com.pk/06-Mar-2018/seven-small-dams-13-irrigation-schemes-completed-in-fata-so-far

Official source told APP here today that as a result of completion of these projects a huge land has been brought under cultivation.

As some of these completed projects are multi-purpose, therefore, a huge population is also benefited by using clean drinking water.

Moreover, the power generation projects have been initiated by Fata Development Authority which will play key role in reducing the energy crisis after their completion.

So far, Fata DA has completed these projects including Dargai Pal Small Dam, SWA, Dandy Small Dam, NWA, Moto Shah Small Dam Mohmand Agency, Sheen Kach Small Dam FR Tank, Zao Small Dam, Khyber Agency,Kand Small Dam, NWA, Ping Small Dam, FR Bannu, Sheen Warsak Irrigation Scheme, SWA, Musa Nikka Irrigation Scheme, SWA, Zeera Letta Irrigation Scheme, SWA, Sadda Weir Lower Kurram, Agency, Walai Killi Bazar Zakha Khel Irrigation Scheme, Khyber Agency,Pir Qayum Drinking Water, Kurram Agency, Makha Zai Irrigation Scheme, Kurram Agency, Zarwam Irrigation Scheme, FR Bannu, Jallandar Irrigation Scheme, Kurram Agency, Shahbaz Sum Irrigation Scheme, Kurram Agency, Shawa Irrigation Scheme, NWA, Maula Khan Sarai Irrigation Scheme, SWA.
Riaz Haq said…
Five years on: Belt and Road projects changed lives of many


https://tribune.com.pk/story/1805002/1-five-years-belt-road-projects-changed-lives-many/


Qasir Abbas, a 40-year-old Pakistani farmer who owns a 400-acre mango farm in Multan in the central Punjab Province, witnessed changes brought about by the construction of the Multan-Sukkur Motorway, locally known as M5.

Abbas sells mangoes from his hometown, known for conditions favourable to food and crops such as mango, cotton and sugarcane, to the southern major port city of Karachi, some 900km away. However, the two cities were connected with a poorly maintained highway, with the whole journey taking about 21 hours.

Governor inaugurates CPEC’s Centre of Excellence

The 392km six-lane M5 is the largest transportation infrastructure project under the CPEC, a corridor linking Karachi and northwestern Peshawar and running through the populated provinces of Punjab and Sindh.

The first 33-km section of the M5 was inaugurated in May this year, with a speed limit of 120 km per hour. The whole project is scheduled to be completed by August 2019. “By then, it will take only 14 hours to transport my mangoes to Karachi,” Abbas said.

In Laos
Life took a surprising turn in early 2016 for Bounmy Phonmixay, a 21-year-old young woman in the central Lao town of Kasi, when a team of engineers arrived for a rail project near her home.

CPEC to bring development revolution, says Bizenjo

It was literally a game-changer.

A single mum, Bounmy lives with her mother and her three-year-old daughter. Two years ago, she was almost in a depressing state of hopelessness, struggling to make ends meet by growing paddy rice and vegetables on leased land. Then, she found a job working at the construction site of the China-Laos railway, an infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative.

When she showed up for an interview with Xinhua recently at the railway project site in Kasi, she was wearing the makeup she likes. “I like wearing makeup, but I seldom did it in the past since I didn’t have much money back then. Now I can afford my own cosmetics and put on makeup whenever I want to,” she said joyfully.

The game changer

The Chinese engineers were there to prepare for the railway project, which links the Mohan-Boten border gate in the northern part of the landlocked country with the capital Vientiane.

Is CPEC also a game changer for Balochistan?

Bounmy was offered the job in 2016 to cook for the builders who were away from home. She got to know many of the builders and was happy with her new job. She learned to cook some dishes, both Chinese and Lao.

“I earn 1.5 million kip (about $176) every month. I give 200,000 kip to my mother, spend 500,000 kip on my daughter’s snacks, milk and toys, and still have 800,000 to myself,” she said. “Although it is quite a busy job, working here makes me feel like being home.”

The China-Laos railway is the first overseas route to connect with the railway system in China, leveraging Chinese technology, equipment and investment. It is designed to have an operating speed of 160 km per hour.

“We grow excellent paddy rice and xiaomila (a pepper) here in Kasi, but not many people know it,” she said. “Hopefully, with the new railway in place, more people would travel to Kasi and take our products farther away so they would be better known to all.”

China rejects reports of talks with Baloch rebels to protect CPEC investment

The railway is expected to be fully operational in 2021, but Bounmy does not worry about losing her job by then. “I have learnt a lot from my work, especially Chinese cooking. When the railway is in place, there will be many people traveling around the station, then I’ll start my own restaurant there,” she said.
Riaz Haq said…
The importance of educating girls in the Newly Merged Districts (Ex FATA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-importance-of-educating-girl...

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) formerly known as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan—are moving toward normalization. The Talibanization period has ended and the Pakistani military has largely cleared violent extremism from this area (see Box 1 for details on the history of the NMDs). At this historic time for this war-torn area, to bring it on par with the rest of the country, it is highly important to focus on the gender aspects of the NMDs’ policies and their implementation. This is especially urgent given that traditionally, this area has operated as a patriarchy. There should be immediate attention to gender equity in two sectors that are fundamental for development and where the NMDs’ reform program will roll out: health and education

https://youtu.be/JocUDDMD8SE



The Directorate of Education (DoE), housed in the FATA Secretariat, developed a five-year comprehensive Education Sector Plan (ESP) for the NMDs—a planning document that was based on the 2009 National Education Policy. While developing the ESP, the FATA Secretariat identified barriers to education, taking into account input from teachers, head teachers, and government officials. However, it appears that most of the barriers identified are applicable to both boys and girls, despite the fact that more girls don’t attend school. The few gender-specific barriers mentioned are distance from school and related security concerns, parents’ reluctance to send girls to school, and other cultural issues. However, the ESP lacks specifics about which cultural or environmental aspects and parental perceptions stop families from sending their daughters to school. Furthermore, under the ESP’s section on “Gender Issues,” the only issue identified is the shortage of women staff in the DoE. Without a deeper understanding of the problem, it will be difficult to devise a plan that can address the core reasons for the low participation of girls in education.

Most importantly, the ESP’s macro-level performance indicator list does not include indicators that measure quality of education and gender equity. Without relevant and adequate indicators, it will be hard to measure the progress in achieving gender equity.

Riaz Haq said…
In a first, #Pakistan appoints #Hindu #woman Suman Bodani underdeveloped rural area of Sindhas civil #judge https://tribune.com.pk/story/1898858/1-first-pakistan-appoints-hindu-woman-civil-judge/

For the first time in Pakistan’s judicial history a woman belonging to Hindu community has been appointed as civil and judicial magistrate.

Suman Bodani, hailing from Sindh’s Shahdadkot district, was declared eligible for the post after passing her judicial officers’ examination with flying colours – securing 54th position on the merit list, Express News reported on Monday.

Speaking to a foreign news outlet, Bodani said she belonged to an underdeveloped rural area of Sindh, where she witnessed poor struggling to cope with various challenges life throws at them. “They cannot even afford to lodge cases, and that is the reason behind my decision of joining law [studies] so I can bring justice to them,” she was quoted as saying.

After completing her intermediate from her native town Shahdadkot, Bodani persuaded law and acquired Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Hyderabad and Master of Laws (LLM) from Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) in Karachi.

Bodani also said she faced resistance form her own community as they did not like girls working in the law field. However, her family including her father and siblings extended their full support to her. “My family did not pay any heed to what people would say and helped me achieve my goal.”

Last year, Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar made history after becoming the first woman chief justice of a high court in the country.

She was also the first woman appointed as a civil judge in Balochistan and holds the distinction of being the first woman in the province appointed as a judge in the Balochistan High Court.
Riaz Haq said…
#Commercial #Olive #farming in #Pakistan gets boost with arrival of 100,000 plants from #Spain, #Turkey. A total of 550,000 plants will be imported under the project which is being implemented by the National #Agricultural Centre. http://www.radio.gov.pk/22-02-2019/olive-farming-gets-boost-with-arrival-of-100000-plants-from-spain-turkey#.XHCNYsA7OJw.twitter

The move is part of a project to promote cultivation of olive on commercial basis in the country.

A total of 550,000 plants will be imported under the project which is being implemented by the National Agricultural Centre.

The project for the promotion of cultivation of olive on commercial basis has been approved under the Public Sector Development.

Dr Bari said that a survey of the potential areas had been completed and it was found that these areas were best suited for olive plantation.

The olive cultivation will not only offer an ‘olive branch’ to peace in Fata, but will also serve as a source for livelihood of farmers in the entire Waziristan belt and agencies of Fata.
Riaz Haq said…
#ImranKhanPrimeMinister performs groundbreaking of #Balochistan #Health Complex, #Quetta-#Zhob Dual Carriageway as part of western alignment of #China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (#CPEC) and New #Gwadar International Airport. #Pakistan https://www.geo.tv/latest/232487-pm-performs-groundbreaking-of-balochistan-health-complex


The premier announced that a cancer institute will be made with the help of Pakistan Army and the provincial government.

Speaking about the Quetta-Zhob Dual Carriageway, the premier said it was a difficult project. "The Quetta-Zhob Dual Carriageway will connect the province to other parts of the country," he said.

"We also needed to pay attention towards the western route," PM Imran said and added that the government wishes to make a railway track from Quetta to Taftan and Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid is making efforts in this regard.

"We need to make a master plan for Quetta," he urged while stating that Pakistani cities are expanding. "As cities expand, people will not be able to receive facilities and will face more difficulties."

PM Imran further said that under CPEC, the western route should have been made first.

The premier also stressed the need for a "strong local government system for Balochistan". "Till local government system is not improved, people's quality of life will not be improved. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, we improved the local government system owing to which we emerged successful there for a second time," he added,

"The country also faces water issues for which we are building a dam. We do not want to think about other elections but our country's progress," he asserted. "If Balochistan is focused on then the whole country will progress," he stated.

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Gwadar airport, uplift schemes for city
Prime Minister Imran Khan also launched work on New Gwadar International Airport and announced various other development schemes for the city, what he believed would become an engine of growth for Pakistan.

“What a pleasure it is to be in Gwadar. In sha Allah, in coming months, years, Gwadar would be, I see, as engine of growth for Pakistan,” he said addressing the ground breaking ceremony of the airport.

The event was attended by federal ministers, Balochistan chief minister, parliamentarians, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, besides huge number of Chinese workers and government officials.

The airport was included among Early Harvest High Priority Project of the CPEC in January 2014. The Chinese government would assist Pakistan in construction of the airport under Chinese Grant Assistance.

The project is part of overall infrastructure development of Balochistan.

It would be developed as a green-field facility with all modern facilities for safe operation.

The new Gwadar airport would be able to accommodate large aircraft such as Airbus A380. It would comprise a modern terminal building with cargo terminal having initial handling capacity of 30,000 tons per year.

On this occasion, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for construction of Pakistan and China Vocational Training Institute and Pak-China Friendship Hospital.

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Khan said it was pleasing that the capacity of the hospital in Gwadar would be enhanced and a vocational training institute would also help create employment opportunities.

He announced to launch Insaf Sehat Card to provide health insurance cover worth Rs720,000 to every family.

The premier said previously power was being transmitted from Iran, but now the government had decided to link the area with national grid.

A desalination plant would also be set up in the city and under Clean and Green Pakistan, one million saplings would be planted. Besides, a solid waste management system would also be established to protect the area from pollution, he said.
Riaz Haq said…
#Balochistan’s #CPEC potential. #Industrial zones are planned for #Quetta, #Gwadar, Khuzdar, Uthal, Hub and Dera Murad Jamali as well as #mineral processing zone for extraction of #copper, #gold. Gwadar port city will rival #Dubai. #Pakistan https://dailytimes.com.pk/375458/balochistans-cpec-potential/


So how will CPEC benefit Pakistan and Balochistan? The answer is simple: through development. The deep sea port holds great trade potential. The infrastructure development will prove a great boost to trade and economy. Infrastructure developments will also open new and better markets. Resultantly, more investors would be attracted. The investment they bring will lead to the creation of more job opportunities. The living standards will improve gradually, but surely.


The road and rail network will help improve efficient movement of goods making the trade more efficient. Besides the road and rail network, three major energy projects are planned in the province, namely, Gwadar Coal Power Project, HUBCO Coal Power Plant and Gadani Power Park Project. These projects will contribute approximately 2,940 MW of energy to the national grid.

Most importantly, Gwadar is going to be the anchor and key driver of this mighty collaboration between China and Pakistan. It is hoped that Gwadar, having one of the world’s deepest sea ports, will become another Dubai by the time the project gets into its final stages. Balochistan is thus going to be a bridge between Asia on one side and the West on the other. The city itself will see massive modernization. Theses project will bring the federation and the province closer to each other.
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan Federal Govt to undertake #Karachi Northern Bypass, #Sukkur-#Hyderabad motorway (M6) projects: Murad Saeed https://www.brecorder.com/2019/04/25/492494/govt-to-undertake-karachi-northern-bypass-sukkur-hyderabad-motorway-projects-murad-saeed/

Minister for Communications Murad Saeed Thursday said the government would undertake the projects of Karachi Northern Bypass and Sukkur-Hyderabad (M-6) motorway to be executed on built, operate and transfer basis.

Replying to a question of MNA Shahida Rehmani in the National Assembly through Question Hour, the minister said presently most part of Karachi Northern Bypass was single carriageway, however, level of service on it was good and the accident ratio was not high.

Northern bypass linked Karachi Port Trust to National Highway and Super Highway. He said dualization of 56 kilometer long Northern Bypass was planned and hiring of consultants had been initiated.

Its dualization through public private partnership mode or funding through Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) was being considered.

The construction work might start after hiring of consultants and the contractor by the end of year 2019.

The project was commercially feasible and would be undertaken on built, operate and transfer basis.

He told that his ministry was focusing on axle management of heavy vehicles. A mechanism for implementation of National Road Safety Policy was being prepared in consultation with the provincial governments.

Accidents on highways occur due to heavy traffic, he said adding Pakistan had 13,000 kilometres long roads and revenue collection from 75 toll plazas were spent on maintenance of roads.

He said repair work on Pindi Jhelum road was started, adding the revenue of National Highway Authority (NHA) would be taken to Rs 100 billion and the money earned would be spent on repairing roads.

He said a part of Sukkur-Multan (M-5) motorway was being executed in Sindh province. The project was started in August 2016 and the present government was ensuring its timely completion, the minister said adding the government was also preparing a detailed design and commercial feasibility of Sukkur-Hyderabad (M-6) km motorway. The timeline for award of this project is December, 2019 and the federal government would release funds for the project.

The previous government did not release funds for the projects announced by it, Murad added.

The minister said Chakdara-Timergara, Akhagram-Dir and Kalkatak-Chitral roads would be rebuilt and made part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The minister told that the government approved the PC-1 amounting to Rs 17,423 million for the roads.

The improvement and widening of 30 kilometres long Chakdara-Chitral (N-45) road would be partly funded through Korean EXIM Bank.

He said Rs 542,149 million was allocated in PSDP in the year 2018-19 for construction of sections of Chakdara-Timergara (38.85 km), Akhagram-Dir section (43.39 km) and Kalkatak-Chitral section (47.98 km).

Timergara-Akhagram (26 km) section of N-45 was rehabilitated through periodic maintenance scheme under Annual Maintenance Plan (AMP) of National Highway Authority in 2015.

It was a two lane carriageway and was in fair condition, Murad said adding Prime Minister inaugurated the western route which would benefit the smaller provinces.
Riaz Haq said…
CPEC-funded Multan-Sukkur Motorway to be operational by August 2019

https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/01/17/cpec-funded-multan-sukkur-motorway-to-be-operational-by-august/

Sukkur-Multan motorway has a design speed of 120km per hour, and it is a two-way six-lane road with a contractual value of $2.889bn
ISLAMABAD: The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)-funded Multan-Sukkur motorway is likely to be opened for traffic by August this year as work on the project is in progress according to the set schedule, a senior official of National Highway Authority said on Thursday.

“At present, 83 per cent of the total work has been completed, out of which 392-kilometer-long roadbed and culvert passage, as well as other structures, already been completed,” the official added while talking to APP.

He said up till now, all the bridges have been completed, while asphalt pavement works are advancing at full speed, whereas building construction and ancillary works are also being implemented actively.

The Multan-Sukkur Motorway is part of the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway, which is also known as the eastern route of CPEC. “This route starts from Karachi via Hyderabad, Sukkur, Multan, Islamabad, Lahore and other cities, and ends in Peshawar with a total length of 1,152 kilometers,” he added.

Sukkur-Multan motorway has a design speed of 120km per hour, and it is a two-way six-lane road with a contractual value of $2.889 billion (excluding $180 million tax exemption).

The Export-Import Bank of China provided loan support while China State Construction Company Limited (CSCEC) is responsible for construction on Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) basis.

With a contract period of 36 months (including design period of four months), the project officially started on August 5, 2016.

Meanwhile, the official said Lahore-Abdul Hakeem section of M-3 would be opened for traffic by February 15. He said that all physical work of this section had already been completed but due to some technical issues, such as delay in approval for deployment of motorway police on the section, the motorway could not be opened yet.

Similarly, the official informed that the Gojra-Shorkot section of Faisalabad-Multan motorway had also be nearly completed and it would be opened for traffic by next month.

Zafar Hayat, Project Director for Shorkot-Dinpur section of M-4, told APP that work on the 34km section has been completed and it would also be opened for traffic by next month.

He said this section is being built at a cost of Rs11,220 million and the project is funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB).

“Work on the 31km Dinpur-Khanewal section is in progress and would be completed soon,” he added.


Riaz Haq said…
Pakistan seafood exports to China rise: Chinese fishing company


https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/478386-pakistani-seafood-exports-to-china-rise-chinese-fishing-company

The exports of Pakistani seafood from Gwadar to Chinese cities through Urumqi, China’s Xinjiang autonomous region has increased manifold owing to robust demand, Chen Baoliang, chairman of the board of Xinjiang Yu-Fei International Fishing Company said on Thursday.

Yu-Fei Marine Technology of China (Gwadar) Company is one of the largest fishing companies in the Gwadar port of Pakistan, according to China.org.cn.


"Since the company was established in 2017, we have been exporting an increasing quantity of seafood back to China," said Chen.

In the last two years, Yu-Fei imported 1,000 tonnes of seafood and sold them to cities in the Chinese mainland.

Now it takes 34 hours for lobsters and groupers from Pakistan to arrive in Xinjiang through air transport, instead of 25 days.

"When I visited Gwadar in 2016, I found that it had high-quality seafood but lacked proper facilities to process them," Chen said.

He invested 500 million yuan (about 73 million U.S.dollars) to build fishing, processing, refrigerated warehouses and established one of the largest seafood processing centers in Gwadar.

Yu-Fei is among a growing list of companies that bank on robust domestic demand in China to import seafood from Gwadar and sell to customers in Urumqi and Karamay, both in Xinjiang, and other cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

"As commercial relations expand, we will be able to create hundreds of more jobs for local Pakistanis and raise the income for local fishers," Chen said.

Riaz Haq said…
Pakistan breaks ground on Gwadar Airport project

https://www.airport-technology.com/news/gwadar-airport-project/

The proposed airport, which is being funded by China, will cover an area of 4,300 acres. It will be capable of accommodating narrow-body aircraft, as well as big aircraft such as the Airbus A380.

The airport is one of numerous projects in Gwadar being financed by the Chinese government as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.

In order to finance the airport, a grant agreement between Chain and Pakistan was signed in May 2017.

“The projects in Gwadar are conducted under a framework agreement with NDRC and a MoU with MOFCOM and the Exim Bank. Unlike many of the other China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in Gwadar, the New Gwadar International Airport is not financed by a loan from China but through a Chinese grant,” cpecinfo.com said in a statement.

Scheduled to become operational over the next three year, the new airport will be developed under the guidance of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Once commissioned, it will become the second largest airport in Pakistan.

Pakistan believes that the new international airport, which will operate under the open skies policy, will help Gwadar to emerge as a regional economic hub.

The soil testing on the land, which started in January last year, has been completed through 300 boreholes made on various locations.

The aviation authorities have already approved the design and work plan for the airport.


Riaz Haq said…
Opening of Swat Expressway facilitates people

https://www.dawn.com/news/1486990/opening-of-swat-expressway-facilitates-people

MINGORA: The tourists visiting Malakand division showed satisfaction over temporary opening of Swat Expressway during the Eidul Fitr holidays, saying it saved their time and shortened the journey between Islamabad and Swat by about two hours.

According to the district administration, more than 60,000 vehicles used the expressway to enter Swat.

“When we heard that the expressway was opened for traffic, we immediately planned to visit Swat on the second day of Eid. The expressway till Palai interchange is complete and is under construction at several locations onwards. But it is good that temporary roads have been built for light traffic,” said Haris Iqbal, a tourist from Islamabad, who was travelling to Swat with his family.

He said that he reached Swat in three hours using the newly opened expressway. The tourists said that they enjoyed lush green scenes stretched along the expressway.

“It has not only shortened the distance between Islamabad and Swat but the route also offers enchanting scenes of lush green landscape and beautiful mountains. I invite people from all over the country to come and travel on the route to see the natural beauty of Pakistan,” said Jamila Qureshi, a tourist from Lahore.

The expressway, which was temporarily opened for Eidul Fitr holidays, would be closed to traffic after the holidays. According to FWO officials, the motorway would be officially opened by Prime Minister Imran Khan after two months.

However, people of Malakand division requested the provincial government to keep the route open for them.

Former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak had inaugurated work on the 81-kilometre project in August 2016 and it was claimed the road would be completed by December 2017. However, the project could not be completed within the stipulated time.

Later, the PTI government claimed to open it by December 2018 and once again it could not be opened according to the schedule.

The four-lane road costing Rs40 billion starts from Colonel Sher Khan Interchange and passes through Sawabi and Mardan to reach Chakdara.
Riaz Haq said…
$1.315b Karakoram Highway project to complete next year (2020)

https://nation.com.pk/28-Jan-2019/-1-315b-karakoram-highway-project-to-complete-next-year

The travel time from Havelian to Thakot will reduce from existing four hours to 1.5 hours after the completion of $1.315 billion Karakoram Highway (KKH) Phase-II, an early harvest project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework, next year.

The road infrastructure project being completed at an estimated cost of US$ 1.315 billion, is likely to be completed in the year 2020, according to official sources on Sunday.

The project is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with a total length of 118km, of which 39km is an expressway with subgrade width of 24.7m, and 79km is Class-II highway with subgrade width of 12.3m ( minimum widths of lanes are generally between 2.5 to 3.25 metres (8.2 to 10.7 ft).)

After the completion of the project, the travel time from Havelian to Thakot will be reduced from 4 to 1.5 hours.

Giving further details of the project, the sources informed that commercial contract was signed on December 22, 2015, between National Highway Authority and China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).


The project includes 105 bridges among which 60 are large bridges, 42 medium and three small bridges. There are six tunnels, among which two on expressway and four on Class-II highway.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 28, 2016. On the same day, the Pakistani Government and the Export-Import Bank of China signed the government to government loan agreement, and it came into force on June 24, 2016. The project formally commenced on September 1, 2016. The construction period is 42 months.

This project is to build a new road, not an up gradation of the existing road. As it is located in the mountainous area with complicated terrain, the construction work is extremely difficult. The milestones on tunnels, bridges, subgrades are all ahead of schedule. Two tranches of advance payment have been released in 2016.

Up to now, 2071 Pakistani staff have been employed on the project which has created many indirect jobs and played a positive role in the local economic development. The project also provides a great opportunity for cultivating and training a large number of engineering talents.

In terms of environmental protection, the executing company has hired a well-known local third-party environmental monitoring agency, and strictly complied with the local standard.
Riaz Haq said…
#Engro #Energy to build 200 MW #solar in #Balochistan #Pakistan. According to the filings, the company plans to invest a total of USD 144 million (EUR 127.8m) in four farms and finance them with a combination of debt and equity at a ratio of 80:20. https://renewablesnow.com/news/engro-energy-applies-for-licence-for-200-mw-of-solar-in-pakistan-658109/

Pakistani power sector regulator NEPRA is considering to grant a generation licence to local developer Engro Energy Limited for four solar photovoltaic (PV) farms totalling 200 MW in the province of Balochistan.

NEPRA admitted on Wednesday four applications for the proposed projects, named Kuchlak-I, Kuchlak-II, Kuchlak-III and Kuchlak-IV, of 50 MW each. According to the filings, Engro Energy plans to invest a total of USD 144 million (EUR 127.8m) in the four farms and finance them with a combination of debt and equity at a ratio of 80:20.

The next step in the process is a 14-day period during which all stakeholders and interested and affected parties will comment on the generation licences.

If Engro Energy receives all necessary approvals, the Kuchlak PV farms will be constructed near the namesake town in Balochistan and commissioned in June 2020.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.89)
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan, #China agree to expedite work on #Sukkur-#Hyderabad 296 km long M-6 #Motorway as part of 1650 km #Peshawar #Karachi Motorway. M-6 will be 6-lanes with a design speed of 120 km/hour, 89 bridges, 15 interchanges and 243 underpasses. #CPEC https://nation.com.pk/18-Jun-2019/pakistan-china-agree-to-expedite-work-on-sukkur-hyderabad-motorway

Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar and Ambassador of China Yao Jing during a meeting here on Monday agreed to expedite the work on Eastern Corridor from Sukkur to Hyderabad in BOT (Build, Operate, and Transfer) mode for its early completion.

The two dignitaries expressed satisfaction over the pace of projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.

The minister said that the incumbent government was committed to fast track the progress on this flagship project between Pakistan and China. He appreciated the Chinese leadership and government for expanding the scope of CPEC by including socio-economic and agriculture sector development under its platform.

The minister noted that signing of framework agreement on agriculture cooperation was a major milestone, adding that Pakistan would welcome Chinese agriculture companies to explore investment opportunities for initiation of joint ventures.

The minister apprised the Chinese ambassador that less developed areas including the merged districts of KP and Balochistan had been accorded priority in the next year’s development budget. The minister said that Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan would be finalized soon which would chalk away out the way forward for development of the coastal city.

Various projects under CPEC framework including 300 MW Coal based power plant in Gwadar and Kohala Hydro power Station also came under discussion.
Riaz Haq said…
A #Library Thrives, Quietly, in One of #Pakistan’s #Gun Markets in #Tribal Area. The Darra Adam Khel Library, less than a year old and with more than 2,500 books, offers residents a respite from the #arms bazaar that dominates local life. #FATA #KP
https://nyti.ms/2RmnQ9w

It has even caught the attention of the market’s arms sellers. Noor Ahmad Malik, sitting inside his gun shop, has gotten interested in books about India and Pakistan and Islamic history, calling the library the “best thing that happened recently for the people here.”


Darra Adam Khel was under Taliban control for years until the Pakistani Army cleared it in 2010. Still, it has been regularly targeted by militants, including a suicide bombing in 2012 that killed 16 people, and mosque attacks in 2010 that killed more than 60. With a population of more than 100,000, it is still largely no-man’s land, where Pakistani law wasn’t applicable until the merger of tribal areas in the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last year.

Now the military is helping Muhammad build a new library that can accommodate up to 65 people, seeing it as a way to help residents recover from years of traumatic violence.

“People are still reeling from the militancy, which has killed hundreds of civilians and soldiers,” said a government official serving in the area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak with the news media. “They are more prone to fear and stress, particularly among children, and now the availability of books is a good option for knowledge and education.”


In the nine months it has been open, it has drawn about 240 members, who pay 150 Pakistani rupees, about $1, a year. Thirty members are women, even though Darra Adam Khel is a conservative area where women are not allowed to go outside unaccompanied. They select books using the library’s Facebook page.

One of them is Shifa Raj, Muhammad’s 11-year-old daughter. A sixth grader and avid reader, she helps her father deliver books to the female members of the library.

“I told girls in the school that we have a library in our area: If you are interested, I will provide membership forms,” she said. “The response was remarkable.”

Muhammad considers the Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai “our pride,” for her efforts to champion education for girls and becoming the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.

“I was born here,” Muhammad said. “I want the world to remember Darra Adam Khel with a good reputation, not for guns but for the books.”

Riaz Haq said…
754-meter long Nahakki Tunnel in Mohmand opened for traffic

https://arynews.tv/en/nahakki-tunnel-mohmand-opened/

MOHMAND AGNECY: With the efforts of Pakistan Army, 745 meters long Nahakki Tunnel has been completed in Mohmand Agency, ARY News reported.

According to details, the tunnel has been opened for all kinds of traffic as well.

Locals told ARY News that after the construction of the tunnel, the traveling of five hours has been reduced to merely 2.5 hours.

People said that they were very happy with this infrastructure as it will facilitate a lot in traveling.


Earlier in June, the construction work of 81 kilometer-long Swat Motorway was completed and it was opened for small vehicles.

The motorway was built to facilitate tourists in traveling towards Kalam, Kumrat Valley and Dir. Moreover, the distance between Islamabad and Swat has shrunk to only five hours after the construction of the motorway.

Riaz Haq said…
Sixty percent construction of DI Khan-Hakla Motorway completed

https://arynews.tv/en/construction-di-khan-hakla-motorway-completed/

Sixty percent work on the construction of Dera Ismail Khan-Hakla Motorway has been completed, Radio Pakistan reported.

According to details, the 285-kilometer-long motorway is part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

It will be completed at a cost of 129 billion rupees by December this year.

For ensuring timely completion of the project, Hakla- DI Khan Motorway has been divided in five sections.

Upon completion, the motorway will boost trade and business activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan.

Few days earlier, Provincial Minister for Communication and Works Akbar Ayub Khan said Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to inaugurate Swat motorway on 25th of next month.

The work on the construction of 81 kilometer-long Swat Motorway will be completed by the month of May, at a cost of 34 billion rupees.

He said motorway has been linked with Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway at Karnal Sher Khan Interchange near Swabi.

Swat Motorway will boost tourism, trade and economic activities in Malakand and Mardan divisio
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan's #Multan-#Sukkur 392 kilometers #Motorway M5 will be operational by August 2019. 6-Lane Motorway will reduce travel time between Multan and Sukkur from 6 and a half hours drive to only 3 hours and 30 minutes. #CPEC via @incpak https://www.incpak.com/info/sukkur-multan-motorway-m5/

Multan Sukkur Motorway (M5) is 392 kilometers long the work on M5 Section started in August 2016 and expected to be operational by August 2019.

The Sukkur Multan section, 392 Km essentially follows the Left Bank of River Indus from Multan onwards connects with (M4) towards the Faisalabad and Abdul Hakeem Motorway (M3) towards Lahore.


Sukkur Multan Motorway M5 is a component of the multi-phase Peshawar Karachi Motorway planned under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

6 Lanes wide Motorway will reduce travel time between Multan and Sukkur from 6 and a half hours drive to only 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Once the Motorway M5 gets operational, the travel time from Lahore to Sukkur will be 6 hours and 30 minutes.

Khanewal to Abdul Hakeem section is about to be completed soon which will connect Peshawar, Islamabad, and Lahore with Multan directly.

According to some commuters, Motorway M5 is partially open for light vehicles however, officially it will be operational in August 2019.

Riaz Haq said…
85% of work completed on #Pakistan's Rs. 14 billion national #highway N-70 project: Rakhi Gaaj-Khar-Bewata, project funded by #Japan widens hilly sections for #Gwadar-bound heavy #cargo traffic with the installation of 8 steel bridges- UrduPoint. #CPEC https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/85-pc-work-of-rakhi-gaj-bewata-section-of-n-657787.html

Improvement and strengthening projct of Rakhi Gaj- Bewata section of Multan- Qila Saifullah Highway (N-70) is nearing completion and so far its 85 percent physical work has been completed.

Costing Rs 13753 million, Rakhi Gaaj-Khar-Bewata, project funded by Japan aims to make the hilly portion of the road wide and safe for Gwadar-bound cargo traffic with the installation of eight steel bridges, an official of National Highway Authority (NHA) told APP on Sunday.

He said that work on the project started in July 2016 and as per schedule it was to be completed in July this year. He said due to hilly terrain the project may be completed by end of the year.

He said that road from Multan to Qila Saifullah was being improved and widened to link it up with the road network under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The hilly portion of N-70, which was constructed in the late 19th century had seven difficult turns to negotiate to climb up the high mountain of Girdo to reach Fort Munro or Bewata. To remove these hurdles for Gwadar-bound heavy cargo traffic, Japanese technology of steel bridges was being used,he said.

He said almost 33-kilometre portion of N-70 was being widened and improved with installation of eight steel bridges having a total length of 1.5 kilometre.

The Japanese engineering company which had made Kohat tunnel was working on this project too, he said.
Riaz Haq said…
East-West Road Improvement Project (I) (N-70) (PK-P57)

https://www.jica.go.jp/pakistan/english/activities/activity02_05.html

The road condition of N-70 is poor. In particular, the road section on the hilly terrain suffers from frequent falling of rocks and debris and occasional land slide from the mountain side. Its narrow road width, coupled with small curve radius and relatively steep slope, prevents two opposite traffic passing at the same time, and keeps away articulated lorries or trailers from using the route, forcing them to take alternative route via N-65 to Quetta.

Objective

To facilitate mobility of both people and goods between East and West of the country, by improving the road section between Punjab and Balochistan on the National Highway No.70 (N-70), thereby contributing to socio-economic development of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Exchange of Notes signed on May 3, 2008
Term 9 years, beginning October 24, 2008
Total Amount of Aid 15,492 million Yen
Project Location Punjab Province
Executing Agency National Highway Authority (NHA), Ministry of Communications
Project Summary

The National Highway N-70 forms a part of an inter-regional trunk road that runs from east to west across the centre of Pakistan linking Punjab and Balochistan province. N-70 starts at Multan, which is one of the major cities in Southern Punjab, crosses over a high plateau called the Sulaiman Range ranging form 800m to 2,000m in elevation, ends at Qila Saifullah, and further connects via N-50 to Quetta which is the provincial capital of Balochistan.

Project Highlights

Construction of the steel "land bridge" is proposed to improve the narrow road on steep slope.
Riaz Haq said…
PESHAWAR-TORKHAM ROAD REHABILITATION

https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/fact-sheets/peshawar-torkham-road-rehabilitation


The Peshawar-­Torkham section of National Highway N­5 was originally built by Sher Shah Suri in the 14th Century and was subsequently used by Mughal empires as a trade route. Over the last fifty years the road has been used as a key transit and trade route for Afghanistan. However, during the last 8 years the use of this road has increased exponentially, both for military and civilian purposes including serving as a NATO supply route and providing the Pakistani military with access to key areas in the FATA and KP. As a result of this increased use there has been extensive damage to the road over the past few years and considerable congestion at narrow bridge crossings. The 46 kilometer Peshawar­-Torkham section of the road requires extensive rehabilitation and in some areas new construction in order to meet increased commercial traffic, as well as military needs, through historically unstable tribal areas.

OBJECTIVES
The Peshawar-Torkham road project is intended to: Improve local economic opportunities
Allow internal and international trade to flow more easily Offer employment opportunities for local workers; and,
Extend and support the delivery of basic infrastructure services by the Government of Pakistan.

MAIN ACTIVITIES
Bring the road up to the technical standards of the NHA (which are those of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials [AASHTO], meet all weather conditions and allow for standard speeds
of 80 km/hour and 50 km/hour in plain and hilly areas, respectively and allow for a maximum of 18,000 pounds per vehicle axle.
The existing carriageway is being reconstructed with a consistent 7.3 meters of pavement width, 2.5 meters Asphaltic shoulders on each side and a minimum embankment height of 1 meter.
Sharp curves will be mitigated in order to accommodate long heavy transport vehicles (maximum 60­feet in length).
Three new bridges will be constructed and four bridges will be rehabilitated. Protection walls (retaining and breast walls) will be constructed.
Cross drainage structure (e.g., culverts and causeways) will be constructed in order to allow rain water to drain off the road.
Weighing facilities will be establish at Jamrud and Torkham to control overloading.
RESULTS TO DATE
PIL for section 1 has been signed from mission and FATA sect. with a total cost of $9.97M.
The FATA Secretariat’s contractor, the Frontier Works Organization (FWO), has deployed to the site and detour for traffic diversion has been established.
Work on cross drainage structure is in progress and 3 no. culverts have been completed. work on main carriageway, Retaining walls, and side drain is in progress.
Riaz Haq said…
NHA Plans Dualization Of Indus Highway By 2023

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/nha-plans-dualization-of-indus-highway-by-202-538756.html

National Highway Authority (NHA) has been working on dualization of Indus Highway (N-55) and as per plan the highway would be dualized by 2023.
An official of NHA told APP on Thursday, the authority has already working on the dualization of Peshawar-DI Khan Road as per following details.

He said Peshawar-Kohat section and Sarai Gambila-DI Khan section have already been dualized while dualization of Kohat-Sarai Gambila section was under way.

He said an allocation of 2,000 million has been made in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2018-19.

He said work has already been started and would be completed in 24 months.

To a question, he said due to increase in traffic volume NHA has already undertaken the dualization of 330 km Peshawar to DI Khan section of the Indus Highway.

In recent years, Indus Highway has been unable to cope with the increasing traffic volume mainly large size of vehicles due to the lack of road capacity and deterioration of the road.

--------------

Jamshoro-Sehwan section: ‘Construction of Indus Highway to help control accidents’

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/468371-jamshoro-sehwan-section-construction-of-indus-highway-to-help-control-accidents

Federal Secretary Communications Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui on Tuesday paid a surprise visit to under-construction Jamshoro-Sehwan Section of the Indus Highway and emphasized upon the scheduled completion of the project as per international standards of construction.


Senior officers of National Highway Authority gave a detailed briefing to the secretary communications regarding progress on the project. While talking to the media during his visit, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said he was inspecting the construction work of the project on the directive of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

We desire, he said, earlier completion of Jamshoro-Sehwan Road project that will pave the way for socio-economic development of the area besides gearing up the pace of industrial development. Federal and provincial governments are cooperating with each other for giving relief to the people of the Sindh province, he said.

Federal Secretary Communications Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui also planted a tree at Aamri in connection with Clean & Green Pakistan drive initiated by Prime Minister Imran Khan. He urged the civil society to join hands with the government to make this drive a success.

Riaz Haq said…
Sialkot-Lahore Motorway To Be Completed In Current Year: DC

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/sialkot-lahore-motorway-to-be-completed-in-cu-662541.html


Deputy Commissioner Dr Syed Bilal Haider on Friday said that the Sialkot-Lahore Motorway project would be completed till the end of 2019.
He said that Rs 43.85 billion would be spent on the project of 91.2Km long motorway which will reduce travelling time between Sialkot to Lahore.

He added that it would be a four-lane motorway with seven inter-changes at Kala Shah Kaku, Muridkey, Narowal, Gujranwala, Pasrur, Daska and Sambrial.

Earlier, a meeting of officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) was held at the DC's Office here to review construction of the project while DC Dr Syed Bilal Haider presided over the meeting.

The NHA and FWO officials told the meeting that construction work on Sialkot-Lahore Motorway's four different sections, namely Kala Shah Kaku to Muridkey Sction (21Km), Muridkey to Narowal Section (25Km), Narowal to Pasrur Section (20Km) and Pasrur to Sambrial Section (20Km) was briskly under way.
Riaz Haq said…
392 Km long 6-lane #Multan-#Sukkur #Motorway M5 to open in August 2019. #CPEC #Pakistan #China https://nation.com.pk/16-Jul-2019/multan-sukkur-motorway-from-next-month-murad

Federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed on Monday revealed that the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) would be made operational from August. He said this during a meeting with Acting Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Zhao Lijian. Head of Chinese State Construction Company and Special Assistant of the Prime Minister on Media Iftikhar Durrani were also present in the meeting. The M-5 is an under-construction north-south motorway in Pakistan, which will connect Multan with Sukkur. The motorway is 392 km long and it is a component of the multi-phase Peshawar-Karachi Motorway planned under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to the PTI Media Department, Chinese acting ambassador Zhao Lijian called on Murad Saeed. Both sides exchanged views on matters pertaining to bilateral ties of the two countries exclusively focusing CPEC projects. During the meeting, Murad said that they appreciate China’s contribution towards Pakistan’s economic progressive in the form of CPEC. He added that CPEC is an alluring reflection of the Pak-China strategic partnership. Chinese envoy acknowledged the ministry’s commitment and diligence towards completion of the projects.

Meanwhile, UAE envoy to Pakistan Hammad Obaid Ibrahimi AlZaabi also called on Murad Saeed here. In the meeting, the envoy lauded policies of the incumbent government. It has been decided that a joint team of Ministry of Communications and Motorway Police will visit UAE in the ongoing month.
Riaz Haq said…
Launch of Access for Out of School Children to #Education and Safe Schools in #Pakistan's #Tribal Districts in #KP https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/launch-access-out-school-children-education-and-safe-schools-pakistan-access-project?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shared&utm_source=twitter.com via @reliefweb

Currently in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 1.1 million children are out of school. Mostly, out of school children live in areas that have suffered by insecurity and come from poorer households in rural areas. Emergencies have a devastating impact on a child’s education. This is particularly true for girls.

The aim of Access for Out of School Children to Education and Safe Schools in Pakistan (AcCESS) project is to improve access to quality education in emergencies, other situations of violence and early recovery phases. It is being implemented in 8 tribal districts and districts of KP which include Peshawar, Bannu, D.I. Khan, Swat, Khyber, Mohmand, Orakzai and Bajaur.

AcCESS aims to expand access to school for more than 81,469 children (50% girls) who are currently out of school or at risk of dropping out. These out of school children are selected on the basis of The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies(INEE) guidelines. That means they will be Out of School Children (OOSC) from families of Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDP), host community, returnees moving back to areas of displacement, returnees to places of origin, registered Afghan refugees and undocumented Afghans in host communities.

AcCESS will enable access to education for OOSC, strengthen quality aspects of Education in Emergencies (EiE), including recruitment, provide capacity building and protection for teachers and link education to other life-saving humanitarian sectors, such as WASH and nutrition in order to reduce vulnerability of children affected by violence and threats.


The European Union aims to help children affected by humanitarian crises to have access to safe, quality, and accredited primary and secondary education. In this project the European Union is working closely together with several partners (communities, government, HOPE 87 and donors) to increase the enrolment of children. It is an investment in their long-term future and in the peace, stability and economic growth of Pakistan.

The targeted outcomes of the project are to i) create 868 facilities with better quality learning environments, ii) improve learning outcomes for 72,531 children (50% girls), particularly in early grades literacy and numeracy; iii) increase the number and effectiveness of 1,020 teachers; iii) establish 7,650 school management committees for promoting girls education and working to address school safety, iv) strengthen the capacity of 50 government staff for school disaster management and education in emergencies and v) engage 510 communities to pursue local solutions for girls' education.

Indirectly, the project will benefit 480,000 people through the impact that better educated girls have on communities through raising health and education levels, providing social services for women at local level, as well as creating a stronger teacher cohort.

In order to increase the school enrolment of children and decrease the drop-out rate the project will work closely together with communities. . This involves discussions with community elders, representatives and men/women from wider community to gain community approval and ownership of the idea of opening a community school; support communities in electing or Mohalla Committee (MC) or Village Education Committee (VEC) including men and women (equitable representation of Pakistani/Afghan parents in host communities.
Riaz Haq said…
USF Universal Service Fund #Pakistan approves Rs. 1.89 billion fund for improving #Telecom infrastructure throughout the country. Will provide coverage to segments of the #highways which don’t have any #connectivity yet such as N10, N25, N50, N65 and N70
https://www.techjuice.pk/usf-approves-rs-1-89-billion-fund-for-improving-telecom-infrastructure-throughout-the-country/

Universal Service Fund of Pakistan has approved around Rs. 1.89 billion for improving the telecom and IT infrastructure of the country. The fund is aimed at the development of various projects such as Broadband for Sustainable Development (BSD) Program, Next Generation BSD Program and more. These projects once completed will help improve connectivity across the country.

Taking a look at these projects, first up we have Broadband for Sustainable Development (BSD) which will target around 12,000 districts in all provinces of the country and will connect them with rest of the world. The minimum bandwidth being offered as per this project will be 256 kbps. Currently, 30 major projects are underway through this plan and another grant of Rs. 192 million has been awarded to further increase the reach of this plan to 401 unserved districts of North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat.

Second up we have Roaming Facility for National Highways and Motorways which will help provide coverage to segments of the motorway which don’t have any connectivity yet such as N10, N25, N50, N65 and N70. This project was first started off in 2018 and since then, the 694 km long Coastal Highway which connects Karachi and Gawadar has broadband connectivity. As of right now, around 7700 km of roads are not covered.

Thirdly, we have the Next Generation BSD Program for Unserved Population which aims to provide high-speed connectivity to 46 districts with a minimum data rate of 512 kbps. Through this, around 30 million people will have better connectivity. Tender notices have also been released to cater to 3052 unserved or underserved districts of Matiari, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Badin, Sujawal, Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan and Bahawalnagar.
Riaz Haq said…
China’s CPEC Is Leading To Hot Real Estate In Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones

https://www.valuewalk.com/2019/07/pakistan-special-economic-zones/

According to Beijing, the provision of such extraordinary facilities aim to provide these countries; including Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Armenia, Siri Lanka, Jamaica, Nigeria, Sudan, Malaysia, and Pakistan (which occupies the center stage for CPEC’s execution), with a coherent and productive real estate, energy, agricultural, and business infrastructure.

With massive infrastructural developments underway, the economic corridor project has already supplemented real estate demand in Pakistan. And investors in the country foresee a continual expansion of road and rail network, development of special economic zones, as well as power projects under the CPEC umbrella.

Similarly, real estate agents have become more optimistic about the speculative value of land in Gwadar and other parts of the country. Moreover, numerous local property portals have recorded an increase in property demand across the country in recent years – a trend which serves to highlight the positive impact of the CPEC initiative on Pakistan’s property market.

Facilitating the creation of an efficient infrastructure

Both the countries have pledged to pursue multiple energy and infrastructure projects on a joint venture basis. To help solve the energy crisis in Pakistan, China is working on 21 power plants and hydropower projects, some of which include:

1,320MW fuel power plant in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab
1,320MW coal-fired power plant in Hub, Balochistan
2x660MW coal-fired power plant in Sahiwal, Punjab
2x660MW coal-fired power plant at Port Qasim in Karachi, Sindh
Kohala Hydel Project in Kohala, Azad Jammu & Kashmir
Suki Kinari Hydropower Station in Naran, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Moreover, China is becoming increasingly involved in the construction of a state-of-the-art network of roads in Pakistan to facilitate the good transport activities. Many of these projects were recently completed and inaugurated, including:

Karakoram Highway Phase II
Peshawar-Karachi Motorway
Expansion and restoration of Pakistan Railways’ Mainline-1
Upgradation of Dera Ismail Khan–Zhob Road
Quetta Mass Transit
Greater Peshawar Region Mass Transit
Karachi Circular Railway
Orange Line Metro Train - Lahore
Similarly, the projects planned exclusively for Gwadar include:

New Gwadar International Airport
Free Zones
Gwadar East-Bay Expressway
Gwadar University
Pak-China Friendship Hospital
Technical and vocational institutes
While the plans on development of special economic zones in the country are also extensive:

Special Economic Zone in Mirpur, Azad Jammu & Kashmir
Marble City in Mohmand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Special Economic Zone in Moqpondass, Gilgit-Baltistan
ICT Model Industrial Zone, Islamabad
Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Faisalabad, Punjab
China Special Economic Zone in Dhabeji, Sindh
Rashakai Economic Zone in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
By providing an efficient infrastructure, China aims to create an enabling environment for global trade connectivity. But, these ambitious plans have also invited scepticism from several countries, with the US particularly critical of Beijing’s ‘debt diplomacy’.

As per a BBC report, China has repeatedly tried to address the concerns and criticism surrounding its OBOR project; saying that the sweeping infrastructure initiative doesn’t contain an agenda for geostrategic supremacy; rather it focuses on efforts to develop a global community with a shared future for mankind.

Riaz Haq said…
#Road #Infrastructure In #Balochistan in #Pakistan. Rs 2 billion allocated for widening-strengthening of about 32 km Rakhi- Gajj section of N-70. Rs 1 billion set aside for dualization of Yarik-Sagu-Zhob section of N-50 #CPEC western alignment- UrduPoint https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/upgrdation-of-road-infrastructure-in-balochis-684166.html#.XUszJ5Ab-XA.twitter

for construction of two lane highway from Basima to Khuzdar Rs 2000 million have been allocated in Public Sector Development Programme ( PSDP) of 2019-20fiscal year.

The total cost of the project would be Rs 19188 million and till June 30 ,2019 Rs 1500 million had been spent on the project. Similarly,he said, Rs 2000 million have been allocated for widening and strengthening of about 32 kilometers Rakhi- Gajj section of N-70. Total cost of the project is Rs 22, 994 million whereas till June 30, the Rs 14914 million has been spent.

He said Rs 1000 million have been earmarked for construction of black top road Yakmach-Kharan road. Total estimated cost of the project is Rs 13758 million out of which Rs 3406 million had been spent by end of previous fiscal year. He said that Rs 1000 million have been set aside for dualization and improvement of Yarik-Sagu-Zhob section of N-50 CPEC western alignment, Rs 1000 million have been allocated in the Public Sector Development Programme.

The total cost of the project is Rs 76488 million and Rs 2972 million had been expenditure had been occurred by June 30.

Among the new projects Rs 5000 million have been allocated for construction of Hoshab- Khuzdar section of Ratto Dero- Gawadar Motorway.
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan bridging the #DigitalDivide via #mobile #broadband. 40 unserved tehsils/towns being connected with 900Km optical #fiber cable in Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram & FR (Peshawar) areas and adding 1,795 kms of unserved highways.
https://nation.com.pk/19-Aug-2019/on-account-of-shareholding-in-ptcl

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, in its first year, deposited Rs4.76 billion of dividends to the national exchequer on account of shareholding in the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). According to the one year performance report of Naya Pakistan, achievements of the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecom, during the last one year, covering areas like ease of doing business, bridging the digital divide, promoting entrepreneurship, increasing foreign exchange earnings and austerity are as follows:

Bridging the data divide through digital inclusion promoting integration projects have been launched to provide voice & broadband services in areas of North/ South Waziristan, FR Bannu/Lakki/Tank, Dadu/Hyderabad & Bahawalpur Districts (3,100 Mauzas) benefiting a population of approximately 6.5 Million.

Forty unserved tehsils/towns are being connected with 900Km optical fiber cable covering Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram & FR (Peshawar) areas.
Through National Roaming Services, 1,795 kms of unserved segments of National Highways including N10 (Uthal to Jiwani), N25 (Hub to Uthal, Uthal to Quetta), N65 (Quetta to Dera Allah Yar), N50 (Kuchlak to Sherani) and N70 (Killa Saifullah to Rakni).
Increasing software exports by establishing linkage between foreign and local ICT sector investors: The registration process of IT and IT enabled services companies with Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is now paperless and automated, powering a real time online company directory, searchable by international investors, partners and customers.

This, in turn, has allowed for the number of IT & ITeS companies registered with the government to rise to 2,013 as of 30th June, 2019 compared to 1,762 registrations in the previous year showing an annual growth rate of 14.24%.

As of 30th June 2019, IT & IT enabled Services (ITeS) export remittances have surged to $902 million at a growth rate of 8.19%, whereas, PSEB estimates that total IT & ITeS exports are US$ 4.1 billion that include $0.5 billion earned by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Independent Consultants & Freelancers.

Riaz Haq said…
#Thar #desert blooms in #Pakistan after #Monsoon2019. Farmers are tilling their land, planting seeds, and for first time in years, expecting a good harvest. Transformation of is attracting tourists to marvel at grass-lined roads in #Sindh | The Third Pole https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/2019/09/13/the-thar-desert-blooms-in-pakistan/

Located in in the south of Pakistan’s Sindh province, bordering India to the east, the Thar desert is home to many varieties of indigenous trees, herbs, and grasses. It is the latter that provides feed for more than 6 million livestock.

One and a half month ago, heavy winds accompanied by soaring temperature hit the region. People migrated towards the barrage areas more than 200 kilometres away with their cattle. Now all that has changed. In the deep desert dunes have been covered by a greenish coverlet, trees have doubled & tripled their leaves, and the grass is growing with unrestrained enthusiasm.

Mr Khaku, who lives in the village of Dhorio, was weeding out grass from his land. He was thankful for the rain, and said that he had invested PKR 20,000 (USD 128) on his land, and intended to work for the next three months until the harvest in the last week of November. His family – he has seven children – seemed to be as enthusiastic as he was, working from sunrise to sunset. Every family member plays a role in cultivating the desert land.

When drought hits the people and animals face an acute shortage of fodder and cereal crops, as well as water scarcity. These lead to premature births among livestock, and the malnutrition rate increases among children under 5 years of age. Pregnant and lactating women do not get their proper amount of food. People are forced to migrate towards the areas where barrages have been built to find fodder and water for their cattle.

This year may be a year of hope, but nothing is certain, warned Bharumal Amrani, a folklorist and environmental expert. “Nothing can be said finally until the harvest. This time Thar has received enough rains, but there are other climatic challenges that may cause low yield.” Recent attacks by grasshoppers are an issue, and have the potential to cause a huge loss.
Local farmers like Nehal, though, are optimistic. He had been taking on labour work during the lean period to manage household expenses. But, after the rains, his family has returned to the land.

“I invested PKR 30,000 (USD 192) last year, but due to rainfall, we got only fodder for two months and couldn’t manage to return the loan payment. This year we welcomed a good shower, and hope this would give us a way to fulfil household needs until the next rains,” he said.
Despite the amount of rain, there is an issue about their timing. “Due to climate change there has been a in the monsoon, the desert received the first spell of rain almost a month late, and that may badly affect the harvest,” said Aakash Hamirani, a youth activist. Nevertheless the people are happy, blessing their fortune this year, and hoping it marks a change from the last few years of lean rainfall.

Riaz Haq said…
4 billion to be invested in #Pakistan #economy. The #Chinese utility company Shanghai Electric will invest $4 billion in #Thar #Coal block one and will establish two more #power plants of 1320 megawatts, as per the reports. #electricity https://dailytimes.com.pk/487646/4-billion-to-be-injected-in-pakistan-economy/ via @dailytimespak

According to the details, a seven-member delegation of Shanghai Electric called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the Chief Minister’s House in Karachi today to discuss the project.


Speaking on the occasion, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the financial close of the project will be by the end of this year. He said that the project will also generate employment opportunities for locals. Back in April, Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had inaugurated the Thar coal power project.

Thar coal power project has the capacity to generate 660 megawatts and consists of two power generation units of 330MW each.
The project was completed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) flagship public-private partnership with the Government of Sindh. For this project, the Sindh government had given a sovereign guarantee of $700 million
Riaz Haq said…
HIGHWAYS OF HOPE
A closer look at Balochistan's roads of change
Muhammad Amir RanaUpdated Oct 06, 2019 11:22pm

https://www.dawn.com/news/1509153

Newly constructed highways in Balochistan are not only bringing connectivity to remote areas of the province. They are also boosting a process of unplanned urbanisation which is bringing about socioeconomic and political shifts within the populace and challenging stereotypes about it


The newly constructed M-8 — which connects Gwadar to the old RCD highway near Surab and passes through Turbat, Hoshab, Panjgur and Basima — had been under construction since 2007 but the project only completed in 2016 because of the security situation and fiscal difficulties. Dozens of labourers from Sindh and south Punjab lost their lives during its construction in attacks by insurgent groups.

Now that the project has finished it has created new avenues of economic activity for the inhabitants of the areas it crosses, but in a province with a long history of people being suspicious of development projects, some are still sceptical of the M-8.

Curiously, this highway is also called the CPEC highway, although it was not built by China or under the CPEC infrastructure projects; the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) constructed the highway which, through RCD highway, connects eastern Balochistan with Quetta and rest of the country.

Some locals believe this route will be used by China to transport goods and oil from Gwadar to the Xinjiang region. They fear heavy traffic will not only damage the highway but will also make commuting difficult for locals. Adding fuel to the fire, the recent heavy rains dilapidated parts of the two-year-old M-8 and locals fear that heavy containers will further deteriorate the roads. Others say that the highway is well made but, being a single road, it will get blocked or slow down public transport when a convoy of five to 10 containers will drive on it. These perceptions will only be tested when the load will come on the highway.

Locals also think that this highway has been built to facilitate trade and oil supply to China. And the neighbouring country should set up an industry, training institutions and other infrastructure alongside the road for the development of the area. These narratives appear to be a bit simplistic. The highway was planned before the CPEC and the Chinese footprints in the province. Nonetheless, these claims say a lot about the high hopes locals have pinned on the highway.

------------------------

The real estate boom in Gwadar is no more the only “success” story in the region. Turbat city is following in its footsteps. Real estate in Turbat is attracting investment from not only the Makran region, but also from other parts of the province, which has transformed the whole city and become a symbol of the urbanisation of Baloch towns.

Turbat city has grown. Turbat University’s beautiful campus on the highway and billboards of new housing societies that frequently pop up along the route tell the story of expansion of a city which has welcomed a number of inhabitants from neighbouring towns. Five degree colleges affiliated with Turbat University offer better opportunities of higher education to students in the adjoining districts of Panjgur, Gwadar and Awaran. Apart from the university, the Makran Medical College, smaller elementary colleges and other public and private educational and health institutions have made Turbat a major urban centre in Balochistan after Quetta. These facilities are not yet comparable with those in major cities of Punjab and Sindh, but they have reduced the locals’ dependence on Karachi and Quetta in terms of educational and employment opportunities.
Riaz Haq said…
Long delayed first phase of 363 Km long Kachhi Canal completed to irrigate 102,000 acres of land in #Balochistan, #Pakistan. #water #farming https://www.dawn.com/news/1508140

The first phase of Kachhi Canal has been completed and work on the second phase is under way.

Presiding over a meeting, Chief Secretary Fazeel Asghar said that Balochistan would see a new era of development after the completion of the Kachhi Canal project.

He said farm production would increase after completion of this project, which in turn would boost economy and improve quality of life in the province.

The meeting was informed that after completion of the first phase of Kachhi Canal, 102,000 acres of land would come under cultivation.
Riaz Haq said…
To secure truly sustainable, safe and equitable development for CPEC, the governments of both China and Pakistan must improve consultation and communication with impacted local populations. (Part 2)

https://www.brinknews.com/will-chinas-massive-investment-in-pakistan-backfire/

Distrust of Developers
Even when the inhabitants are not directly displaced by infrastructure projects, their livelihoods are often endangered. Livestock routes are truncated by construction; streams and rivers are suddenly polluted.

One woman from Sindh reported that five pipelines had been run through her village, and that construction noise had become unbearable.

“They even blocked our access to hospitals,” she said, and also lamented that when strange men appeared in the fields, “we must cover our faces.”

Such incursions feel like a threat to local culture, particularly regarding gender norms. A man from the same village complained that while local men are not recruited as laborers, developers have sought to train women as drivers.

“We told them we won’t allow our women to do this!” he said with disbelief. “We don’t trust [the developers].”

The net result for women is that their lives have now become more restricted, both by ongoing construction and by the male response to it.

Fear and Anxiety
Many Pakistanis we spoke with in both Punjab and Sindh perceive CPEC development as just another form of oppression: a way to grab land and resources, further marginalizing already vulnerable populations.

The CPEC agreement was designed primarily to ensure the security of Chinese investments and citizens. To keep the 8,000-plus Chinese CPEC workers in Pakistan safe, the government is securing concerned areas using invasive monitoring tools, such as internet surveillance, stop-and-search policing and phone jammers.

No such steps ensure Pakistani citizens’ well-being. The result of all this change, anxiety and resentment is a burgeoning resistance.

In February 2017, representatives from 12 Sindhi villages affected by the Gorano Dam, a reservoir intended to collect the wastewater from coal and gas exploration, held a “patriotic” protest calling for the dam to be relocated to prevent poisoning local people and their livestock.

“No one is listening to us,” one of the protest’s coordinators told us. “Our basic rights are being snatched.”

He estimated that 15,000 people, 2,000 animals and 200,000 trees depend on the land now designated for destruction, as well as “fresh-water wells [and] our ancestors’ graveyard.”

If Pakistan’s government and CPEC developers continue to ignore these citizens, anxieties will fester. Already, discontent around the CPEC is being used by local political parties to bolster separatist narratives in Sindh, which has long-standing grievances over resource-sharing with the upper-river province of Punjab.

To secure truly sustainable, safe and equitable development, the governments of both China and Pakistan must improve consultation and communication with impacted local populations. Otherwise, the price of Chinese investment may be too high for Pakistan to pay.
Riaz Haq said…
NHA Director Construction Muhammad Sulait Ahmar said that the Japan’s most advanced technology was utilised in the steel bridges (on N-70 connecting Multan in South Punjab with Qila Saifullah in Balocgistan. It goes over Koh e Sulaiman)). He said: “This unique type of steel is not available in Pakistan. The technology includes box shaped girders made of maintenance free steel for more than 100 years and special embankment wall using light and strong material.”

The seven steel bridges were 11.5 kilometer long, connecting south Punjab to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor via N-70 from Bahawalpur to Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Fort Munro to Qila Saifullah to Gwadar and Iran-Pakistan border at Taftan, he said, adding that Muzaffargarh-Dera Ghazi Khan dual carriageway had already been completed and inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan a couple of days ago.

He said that the then prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif had requested Japan for soft loan to establish the steel bridges. He said that the Fort Munro steel bridges project was executed in 2016 and Muzzafargarh-Dera Ghazi Khan dual-carriageway in 2017. The then Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had laid down the foundation stone of Muzaffargarh-Dera Ghazi Khan dual carriageway on October 14, 2017, he added. He said that the hilly portion of Dera-Taftan Road from Rakhi Gaaj to high mountains of Girdo (Fort Munro) was constructed in the late 19th century by the British rulers as a part of the strategic forward policy in the subcontinent. Starting from Rakhi Gaaj-Khar-Bewata, the project made the hilly portion of the road wide and safe for Gwadar-bound cargo traffic, he added.

Embassy of Japan First Secretary Economic and Development Teruki Hanzawa said that the project site was traffic choke point with continuous steep, slopes and sharp curves. He said that Japan had provided concessional loan with the lowest markup rate of 0.2pc and the repayment period was 40 years with 10 years grace period. He said that Japan had provided $142 million to improve N-70.

Teruki Hanzawa said that the physical work had been executed in 2016 and it was completed in the shortest period of three years with the help of Japanese and Pakistani engineers. He said: “A single track road has been expanded to double track and sharp curves with a radius of eight meters to 30 meters.”

Meanwhile, big trailers and trucks carrying heavy loads, passenger buses, vans and picnic lovers riding vehicles are found frequently moving on the route after the steel bridges gave a solution to the most dangerous and sharp curves in more than 6,000 feet high hilly area across Fort Munro. The Iranian cargo trucks are also entering the Punjab through Fort Munro steel bridges.


https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/621068-japanese-steel-bridges-add-beauty-to-fort-munro
Riaz Haq said…
Spotlight: CPEC mine project proves to be oasis in desert for underprivileged people in Pakistan's Thar region (contd)

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/10/c_137965626.htm

Under the project, a medical center was also launched where locals are provided with free medical facilities. A pediatric, a gynecologist and a general physician provide free medical check ups to locals. Tests and laboratory examinations are also provided in the hospital free of charge.

Fehmida, the gynecologist in the hospital told Xinhua that people's perspective about healthcare has changed a lot since the hospital was built.

"Initially people resorted to self-medication for every disease. Taking pregnant women to hospital was not a general practice of the local community as they would rely more on village mid-wives, due to which the number of mother and neonatal mortality was high, but after we started medical center here, number of pregnant women visiting the hospital increased greatly."

Clean drinking water is also a major issue for locals, as there used to be only a few wells in the area. Women used to walk a long distance every day to fetch drinking water in temperature as high as 50 Celsius degrees, and the water was usually non-drinkable, causing many water-borne diseases in local people. But now clean drinking water is provided to local people near their homes under the Thar coal mine project.

Talking to Xinhua, Naseer Memon, general manager of Corporate Social Responsibility in the SECMC, said they are also working to protect local handicrafts by buying products directly from local people on market rates, thus improving the financial condition of local craftsmen.

He said they also trained a number of unskilled laborers from Thar to give them opportunity to reap the harvest of CPEC by getting employment.

The general manager said many of the laborers were later hired by other companies because of their expertise learnt from the project, and they filled the slot by training more people.
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan's Rural Transformation With #Education, #Remittances, #Healthcare & #Communications: Motorized Vehicles replacing horses & bulls, sturdy brick/cement replacing mud houses, TVs & Mobile Phones everywhere, Migrant workers bringing money & ideas. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/685889-changing-landscape-of-village-life-in-pakistan

Islamabad:The countryside life in far-flung areas of Pakistan, once considered totally isolated and secluded from the rest of the world and devoid of modern-day facilities, has undergone a massive transformation during the last two decades or so by changing the entire landscape of village life.

The rural life is often considered backward, fixed and hostage to tribal culture and traditions. Similarly, the popular social discourse that nothing has changed in Pakistan contradicts with historical facts.

Looking at the national picture of rural life in Pakistan rapid changes have occurred in almost all spheres of life from communication to education, socialization to healthcare, transportation to banking, governance to farming and cultivation to harvesting due to technological advancement, developmental works, penetration of information technology, remittances and domestic tourism.

Among others, the two factors of economic and technological developments as the agent of change had proved instrumental in shaping the process of change not only in the urban areas but also in suburbs of the country. Not more than twenty years ago when mobility was considered difficult in the remote areas not only due to missing road infrastructure but also due to poor transportation facilities.

‘Tonga,’ a carriage pulled by a horse, was the only facility for public transport while bullock-cart was commonplace phenomena for weight transportation in almost all small villages. The houses made of mud have also slowly been replaced by cemented buildings while the social structure was also changed due to disintegration of combined family structure to separate family system.

Likewise, only a few professions of handicrafts have survived due innovation to capture the pace of time and demand of the market while others have totally faded away. Similarly, the obsolete tools, techniques and methods are no more used in farming, cultivation and harvesting due to low production. Therefore, it could not survive at all in the face of modern technologies.

The media revolution in the country with more than 100 private TV channels has brought the whole world at the doorstep of the villagers while the mobile phone companies and 3G/4G technologies have brought it further closer to the palms of people. Hardly there is anyone left without having a smartphone even in the remotest parts of the country.

Almost everybody has got access to the unbridled flow of information on social media in every nook and corner of the country. Thus the electronic media and communication technologies have brought together the collective experiences of the whole world into rural households. The occupation and profession in rural areas once used to be farming and handicraft only. Now it has also transformed into government services, urban migration, overseas workers and businesses. The migrant workers are not only bringing money to the rural economy, but also ideas and experiences about how people in urban areas and the world outside live.

The villages, the basic components of civilization, where a large segment of society is living, have either transformed into model villages/towns or merged with nearby cities having urbanized lifestyle and lots of hustle and bustle. But in developed parts of the globe, the difference between village and city life is still quite visible due to well-planned construction, proper waste disposal mechanism, sewerage system, cleanliness and greenery.
Riaz Haq said…
#CPEC transforms #Pakistan's remote #GilgitBaltistan. #Investors believe the region will become #business & #tourism hub after full operationalization of #China-#Pakistan Economic Corridor http://v.aa.com.tr/1945160

Formerly known as the Northern Area and once part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the region at the confluence of world’s greatest mountain ranges – the Karakoram, the Himalaya, the Hindukush, and the Pamir – is witnessing a brain gain, as people return to invest in the region.

Rich in history, culture, and natural beauty the area which also remained a center of rivalries between Russian, British and Chinese empires has been a cynosure of trekkers and adventure tourists over centuries.

Hassan Nasar 46, has returned from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, and has established business of precious and semi-precious stones business in Gilgit, the provincial capital of GB. Since the region became a gateway for the multi-billion dollar CPEC, banks, investors, food chains are moving into the mountainous region.

"I have moved here [Gilgit] from Bangkok in April this year and invested a hefty sum because this city is the future business hub after the CPEC becomes fully operational," said Nasar, owner of Gems Gallery located in the beautiful city market.

Scores of people in the picturesque market in the city, which is about 600 kilometers (372 miles) from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad told Anadolu Agency that CPEC is turning a gamechanger and is changing their fortunes.

The $64 billion CPEC -- a network of roads, railways, and pipelines -- is aiming to connect China's strategically important northwestern Xinxiang province to the port of Gawadar in far away in Balochistan.

While the corridor will give China easy access to Africa and the Mideast, it will make Pakistan earn billions of dollars and spur business activities along the road network replacing the fabled Silk Road.

Nasar, however, said while business prospects are fabulous, the weather plays a spoiler, referring to the harsh winter season from November to March when most of the areas get blocked by heavy snow.

Beautiful valleys

Speaking to Anadolu Agency former Chief Minister of GB Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman said the government has developed the infrastructure to attract more tourists and investors over the past five years. He completed his five-year tenure on June 23.

The region hosts several beautiful valleys including Nagar, Hunza, Gilgit, Attaabad, Khaplu, Shiger, Gupis, Astore, and Skardu Valley thus attracts the local and foreign tourists in the summer season.

On the pattern of investments, Rehman said those who want to invest in dollars will have to come here though the Pakistan government and those who invest in local currency need to approach directly to the local authorities. He described the blocking of roads due to snowfall an impediment in the way of large investments.

According to the officials, the region has great energy potential due to huge water resources. They believe that the region can generate over 50,000-megawatt electricity from water.

"We want to invite the Turkish companies to come and invest in the power sector," said the former chief minister.

The region is accessible through Karakoram and Kaghan-Naran highways. But the

Naran-Babusar road, which connects Chillas district of GB, remaining close for six months during winter due to heavy snowfall.

Karakoram Highway, a technological marvel

The local people use 784 km. (487 mi) Karakoram Highway in winter. The road is considered as the eighth wonder of the world due to its high elevation and crisscrossing highest mountains.

Completed in 20 years by Chinese and Pakistani engineers, as many as 1,000 people lost their lives during its construction. The road passes through extremely dangerous Rocky Mountains overlooking the fast-flowing Indus river, thousands of feet below.

The travelers here also witness the confluence of the three highest mountain ranges with Gilgit River melting into the Indus River at the same junction.
Riaz Haq said…
Monsoon in #Pakistan: Bane for farmers, boon for animal herders. Heavy rain has hit standing crops & #vegetables plants nurseries hard, but animal herders in #Thar desert are happy as more rains mean more fodder for #livestock and better livelihood. #Sindh https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/706310-monster-rains-a-bane-for-plain-croppers-a-boon-for-desert-herders

According to reports pouring in from different parts of the province, including Sanghar, Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Dadu, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Umarkot, and Tharparkar districts, heavy rains have flooded the fields of cotton crop at the time of its harvesting, as farmers were busy picking in many areas.

In others parts nurseries of onion, tomato, and late variety of chilli, ready to be planted, have also come under rainwater, causing uncertainty among growers.

The farmers had already prepared their pieces of land for plantation of abovementioned veggies, but the record showers disrupted their plans.

Mir Zafarullah Talpur, a grower in Tando Jan Muhammad, sharing his observations, said the farmers in Kunri, Umerkot, Dighri, Naukot, Samaro and Jhudho had lost their fine quality chilli due to heavy rains. “An up to 12-hour long continuous rainfall inundated the crops over a wide area,” he observed.

Gulab Shah, a grower from Keti Bunder coastal area, said the rain had been pouring since the last 24 hours, causing damages to standing crops of Paan (Betel leaves), tomato, banana, cucumber, and chilli. “Artificial drains made for saline water are not taking flood water. In some places these drains are seen overflowing, further threatening crops,” he said.

The chilli in coastal areas has its different season compared to main chilli zones like Kunri.

Haroon Memon, a chilli grower of Kunri, Umerkot district said the farmers were preparing to start harvesting of early sown chilli expected to start on September 15, 2020.

The crop standing on hundreds of acres in the area has come under rainwater.

“There is no exact data of crop damages, because neither concerned government departments nor growers’ bodies have the capacity to assess the situation,” Memon said adding however the losses were likely to be huge in chilli and cotton crops in these areas, where entire farmland was under water.

Noor Hussain Khoso, another farmer from Badin, said cotton and chilli were sensitive crops, which have come under water and might be lost within a few days in case water did not recede.

“Mostly there is no drainage system in any agriculture area to save the crops. Some influential landlords have arranged dewatering machines to save their crops, but many other farmers, who are unable to drain the water out of fields, fear big losses,” Khoso said.

Some farmers said it was too late to rent dewatering machines because the new rain spell was due within a few days, as reported by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Manzoor Kalhoro, who manages four nurseries of valuable fruit, ornamental plants and forest species in Deh Narejani, Hyderabad city suburbs, said the devastation rained on them.

“It is not only Hyderabad, there are reports from Mirpurkhas where nurseries have come under water,” he added.

A large number of people are in the plant nursery business. They are using pumping machines to drain rainwater to save the saplings, but at the same time are bracing for losses. There are several sensitive plants which cannot survive in stagnant water for many days.

Muhammad Siddiq of Mithi, Tharparkar called the rain a boon for the desert areas, where farmers and herder families seem happy, believing rain might benefit the early sown crops and green pastures.

There are reports that breaches in irrigation tributaries have also caused flooding of crops.
Riaz Haq said…
24 dams worth billions of rupees under construction in #Balochistan province of #Pakistan . #Water reservoirs are being built in Awaran, Washuk, Kharan, Zhob, Musakhel, Loralai. #CPEC #Gwadar | TNS World


Under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), twenty-four dams worth billions of rupees are under construction in Balochistan.

This was stated by the project director of 100 dams Muhammad Ibrahim Mengal in an exclusive interview with Radio Pakistan.

He said no compromise will be made on the quality of construction, which are likely to be completed by December this year.

He said the water reservoirs are being built in Awaran, Washuk, Kharan, Zhob, Musakhel, Loralai etc. The project director also said that measures are being taken to accomplish the dam project in order to improve ground water level for reducing the water problems that stretch throughout the province.
Riaz Haq said…
Projects for third phase under CPEC discussed

https://www.dawn.com/news/1588694

The second meeting of Joint Work­ing Group on socio-economic development under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework on Wednesday decided to prepare projects for the third phase, and the Chinese government was asked to send experts for the implementation of priority projects.

The meeting via video link discussed and reviewed the projects under $1 billion Chinese grant, and expres­sed satisfaction over the pace of progress of projects under the joint working group in key areas of agriculture, education, health, poverty and vocational training.

The joint working group decided to prepare documents for signing as deliverables of the forthcoming 10th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting which will discuss implementation of the second phase of CPEC. The pandemic situation had delayed the holding of JCC meeting.

The fast-track and priority projects specifically reviewed by the working group were agriculture tech­­nology laboratories, provision of equipment and tools and demonstration stations in the agriculture sector, smart classroom project and overseas student scholarship programme in the education sector, Pakistan Vocational Schools Equip­ment and solarisation project in Balochistan in addition to drinking water supply project for AJK and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Moreover, Pak-China Friend­­ship Hospital, Voca­tional Technical School and desalination plant in Gwadar were also discussed, and two sides reiterated to implement these ongoing projects as per the decided timelines.

The meeting was co-chaired by Vice Chairman, China International Deve­lop­­ment and Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), Boqing, Vice Chairman Secretary Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Mathar Niaz Rana.

The Pakistan side appreciated the assistance provided by the Chinese government for socio-economic uplift of the country and also acknowledged the support extended during Covid-19 pandemic; especially the medical equipment and supplies.

The Pakistani delegation emphasised to expedite technical education projects including cooperative project with Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology in KP and Punjab Tianjin University of Technology.

It was also suggested to carry out the Burn Centre projects in all provinces and regions on priority.

Further­more, the Pakistani side also discussed the poverty alleviation research project with Chinese side and desired to learn from Chinese experience in this area.
Riaz Haq said…
#Chinese Foreign Ministry: #China, #Pakistan to forge #CPEC into demonstration program for quality #BRI coop. CPEC contributes to not only economic and social development in China and Pakistan, but also regional connectivity and common development http://www.ecns.cn/news/cns-wire/2020-11-05/detail-ihacshup9271756.shtml

China will continue working with Pakistan to forge China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into a demonstration program for quality BRI cooperation that benefits the people of China, Pakistan and the whole region, said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry.

China firmly supports the building of CPEC, Wang made the remarks at a regular press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

"The CPEC is an important pilot BRI project and flagship for China-Pakistan bilateral cooperation. Since its building started more than seven years ago, major progress has been achieved and a lot of projects have been launched or completed, bringing over $25 billion of direct investment to Pakistan," Wang said.

In a meeting with new Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong on Tuesday, Pakistani President Arif Alvi said that China's development brings important opportunities to the region and the whole world, adding that Pakistan will unswervingly push forward bilateral ties and the implementation of the CPEC.

Last month, Orange Line, an early harvest project under CPEC, was inaugurated in Lahore, introducing an era of metro train services for Pakistan.

Completed projects have greatly improved the country's transport infrastructure and power supply, created more than 70,000 local jobs, contributed 1 to 2 percent to Pakistan's GDP growth every year, and significantly boosted its socio-economic development and local wellbeing.

The CPEC contributes to not only economic and social development in China and Pakistan, but also regional connectivity and common development, the spokesperson maintained.

Nearly 20,000 tons of commodities like wheat, sugar and fertilizer have been transferred via Gwadar Port to Afghanistan since the first half of the year, creating almost 1,000 jobs in the process.
Riaz Haq said…
Pakistan, US cooperation to help increase energy capacity

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/740221-pakistan-us-cooperation-to-help-increase-energy-capacity

In partnership with the United States Government, the Managing Director of the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) inaugurated the Patrind Power Transmission Project Thursday.


This mutual investment from the United States and Pakistan will add 147 megawatts (MW) of hydroelectric capacity to Pakistan’s National Energy Grid.

The United States Government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), supported the effort by constructing transmission lines and upgrading grid stations in the Azad Kashmir/Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) region. This effort will ultimately strengthen private sector investments in clean-energy projects. With this NTDC and USAID investment, Patrind is now selling electricity to the national grid and repaying its debt and equity obligations.

This achievement demonstrates that with strategic government support, the energy sector can be a driver of local and national economic growth. “The US Government is partnering with the Government of Pakistan to strengthen Pakistan’s energy sector and make it more competitive through the use of sustainable energy sources like hydroelectricity,” said USAID Mission Director Julie Koenen.

“Working with the Government of Pakistan, we have supported infrastructure projects, operational improvements, and policy reforms to help the energy sector function more efficiently and sustainably.

These efforts are helping Pakistan meet the needs of its growing population and economy.” Since 2010, USAID has partnered with the Government of Pakistan to add more than 3,600 MW to the national grid. These investments are benefitting more than 43 million Pakistanis, reducing costs for energy distribution companies by $429 million, and leveraging more than $2.3 billion in private investment.

USAID has also supported the construction of new transmission lines and substations to evacuate power from wind power projects to the national grid, as well as rehabilitated thermal and hydroelectric power plants. To ensure Pakistan’s future energy security, the U.S. Government will provide technical assistance to improve planning processes and operational procedures, introduce new technologies, and transition toward a competitive market structure with more participation by private sector companies.

Riaz Haq said…
Major work on 886km Matiari-Lahore transmission line completed

https://www.dawn.com/news/1587725

Pakistan’s first and mega High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) project — Matiari-Lahore transmission line — has almost been completed as engineers finished the entire line stringing work besides energising the converter station near Lahore.

The project, launched under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, has now officially entered the testing and commissioning phase that is likely to complete by December this year, Dawn has learnt.

“We have completed all major works (civil, electrical, mechanical, erection etc) of the 886km transmission line. After completion, the project has officially entered a new stage of energised DC (direct current) commissioning,” Mr. Wang Bo, Deputy CEO of Pak Matiari-Lahore Transmission Company, which is responsible for the construction and operation of the project, told Dawn.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD

“Within a week of the completion of the transmission line, we have also completed the commissioning of the Lahore Converter Station/DC system (energising amid achieving of 660kV voltages) built near Lahore, marking the beginning of a new era of DC transmission in Pakistan’s power industry. This is a remarkable achievement,” he added.

“Moreover, the converter station built at Matiari is set to be energised on November 1.”

The $1.68 billion project is the first HVDC project in the country and the second in the entire world. Comparing it with all the power transmission projects in the country, it has the highest voltage level as it is also the most technically sophisticated and most difficult one in terms of construction.

The work on the line was officially launched in December, 2018 across Sindh and Punjab. The transmission line was divided into eight lots, crossing desert, farmland, rivers, military area, national park, wildlife reserves gas pipelines, railways, highways, and several 500kV, 220kV, 132kV transmission lines on the way.

The project will evacuate 4,000MW power from plants in south to urban load centres in Punjab. The power generation projects from where the Matiari-Lahore HVDC line will evacuate power included 1,320MW Shanghai Electric, 660MW Thar Engro, 2200MW K-II and K-III and 1,320MW Port Qasim plants.

“The whole line has total 2,362 tower foundations, weighing more than 71,000 tonnes and consisting 220,000 cubic meters concrete and 17,000 tonnes of steel bars. For the first time in Pakistan, the four-split 1,250 square millimeter large-section conductor was used. The total quantity of conductor is about 28,000 tonnes. The workload has set a new record in the field of power transmission in Pakistan,” Mr Bo explained.

“They constantly kept optimising the construction methodology and adjusting the construction plan, making the best of utilising local resources, actively adopting innovative construction methods such as using drones for stringing, stringing cross live line with isolation nets etc. We managed to achieve the record high of complete 209km of UHV (ultra high voltage) transmission line in one month,” he maintained.
Riaz Haq said…
Tending orchards in Thar desert — without flowing water
A farmer is using clay pitchers to irrigate his orchard and crops, using 70 per cent less water than conventional methods.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1571967



Most of the inhabitants of the Thar desert can grow crops only after a downpour has transformed the arid land into lush greenery. But Allahrakhio Khoso, a 60-year-old farmer, does not need to wait for rain.

In the city of Nagarparkar, in the shadow of the Karoonjhar mountains, Khoso has made an orchard in the desert a reality by using matkas or pitchers — an everyday object more commonly found in the home than in the field.

After eight years, Khoso has 400 berry trees, 70 lemon trees, three mango trees and four pomegranate trees. He grows vegetables such as okra, bitter melon, onions, chilies and tinda (a type of squash), as well as watermelon, on his land in the district of Tharparkar.

Khoso can grow berries, lemons, mangoes, pomegranates, watermelon and vegetables. — Photo by Zulfiqar Khoso
In pitcher irrigation, a large clay pot with a wide bottom and narrow top is buried in the ground and filled with water. The water is slowly released into the surrounding soil and absorbed by the roots of nearby plants, minimising the amount of precious liquid lost to evaporation.

In pitcher irrigation, a large clay pot is buried in the ground near a plant and filled with water. — Photo by Zulfiqar Khoso
Water in the desert
Rich in coal but poor in water, Thar is the largest desert zone in the province of Sindh. Its residents depend on rainfall; most people fetch their daily water from wells and store rainwater in water tanks. In summer, many wells run dry and groundwater becomes brackish.

To this day, some wells are dug without modern machinery. Recently four workers dieddigging a well when the walls fell in on them.

Water is so important a commodity that it even features in marriage negotiations; before a proposal is accepted, the parents of a bride will ask the groom’s family how close the nearest well is. In greetings, people also ask about sweet water wells.

Nevertheless, living in the desert does not mean thirst and poverty are inevitable.

How does pitcher irrigation work?
"Many years back, one of my friends came to visit our village and he discussed pitcher irrigation," said Khoso. "I got the idea and started working on it. In the beginning, it was quite hard but now it looks very simple. I thought that if I could make my farm green without rainwater, then I should go for it."

Khoso has made an orchard in the desert a reality. — Photo by Zulfiqar Khoso
To install a new pitcher, Khoso first makes a small hole in the bottom of a pitcher. He puts a rope through the hole, then buries the pitcher, packing mud and sand tightly around it. This leaves only the mouth of the pitcher exposed, which Khoso fills with water. The water seeps through the porous clay and soaks through the rope into the sand, where it is absorbed by the roots of the crops he has planted close by. As well as natural fertilisers, Khoso uses mud from Virawah, a city near Nagarparkar where there is an ancient lake.

Each pitcher is two to three feet wide and holds 10 litres of water, which will irrigate the soil for 15 to 20 days. New pitchers are better for irrigation because they are more porous and, once in place, will last three years. Khoso fetches water roughly every 10 days — there is a well on his farm, and another nearby.

For trees, Khoso uses one pitcher per plant; sometimes two pitchers for mango trees, planting trees 25 feet (7.6 metres) apart. The amount of water needed depends on the crop, with trees requiring more pitchers. Khoso now has 400 pitchers irrigating his orchard.
Riaz Haq said…
Clay Pot Irrigation - a simple adaptation of an ancient technique
Maddy Harland
Friday, 24th May 2013
Want to conserve water but still want to make sure you aren't under-watering your garden? Want to establish a simple greenhouse irrigation system? Clay pot irrigation can save 50-70% of water without depriving your plants.

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/clay-pot-irrigation-simple-adaptation-ancient-technique


This is an adaptation of an ancient method of irrigation that is thought to have originated in Africa 4,000 years ago. It uses the porous nature of clay pots to allow osmotic pressure to suck the water into the soil where it is needed. People use beautiful fired pots called Olla with a narrow neck buried in the soil.



Unless you can make them yourself, this may prove an expensive solution so here's an inexpensive and simple alternative.

Get hold of an ordinary 25 cm (10 inch) terracotta pot. Plug the hole with a wine cork. Bury it almost up to its neck in the soil but not too deep so that soil falls into the pot. Fill it with water. Add a terracotta lid.

Plant seedlings or sow seeds 18 inches around the base of the pot. Water will slowly seep out through the clay wall of the pot, directly irrigating the soil around the pot. As the roots grow they will wrap themselves around the pot. The plants takes up almost all the water, and because the water source is now in the ground, evaporation is almost nil.

Keep the pot filled up and you will provide a steady source of irrigation when your plants need it.

I am trying this in my greenhouse between tomato, chilli, basil, thyme, parsley and tarragon plants this summer and see how often I need to replenish the pots and how much I can reduce watering as well.
Riaz Haq said…
Germany to finance projects in energy, health sectors

https://www.dawn.com/news/1592552/germany-to-finance-projects-in-energy-health-sectors


German Development Bank and the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Thursday signed three agreements with a cumulative value of 18.5 million euros to help Pakistan fight climate change, resolve the energy issues, provide extended health facilities and combat polio.

Under the Women Employment in Private Health Sector, the German bank will provide a grant of Euro 12million exclusively for the establishment of women’s health clinics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to promote self-employment of women in the health sector.

The funding will also go towards the training of qualified women to run the clinics and consulting services in relation to the coordination, monitoring and reporting of the measures implemented.

A statement issued here said through the bank the German government will provide an additional grant of 5 million euros to augment the existing support for polio eradication.


This will help Pakistan finance polio vaccines and meet the costs for vaccination campaigns for implementation of Pakistan’s National Polio Emergency Action Plan.

The World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are the implementing partners.

Under the climate change and energy components, a grant of 1.5 million euros ghas been provided to Pakistan to implement Accompanying Services for the Harpo Hydropower Project in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

These accompanying measures are meant to be carried out at the project site in support of the main Harpo Hydropower Project to ensure the project sustainability.

The statement said that accompanying services shall comprise assistance to strengthen the power utility at the Gilgit-Baltistan Power Department as well as accompanying investments in the social infrastructure including relevant consulting measures.

Historically, Pakistan and Germany have enjoyed warm friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1951. Earlier this year, the government of Germany, through its bank, signed agreements with Pakistan to provide 27 million euros for Gharo Substation in Sindh and 6 million euros for the regional infrastructure project.

Riaz Haq said…
Pakistan Army set to gain sweeping Belt and Road authority
Bill grants military-linked body carte blanche over $50bn CPEC projects

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Belt-and-Road/Pakistan-Army-set-to-gain-sweeping-Belt-and-Road-authority

CPEC projects were stalled for months after Khan took power in 2018, mainly due to graft allegations regarding the previous government's handling of the projects. There were also allegations that the deals unfairly benefited Beijing. Khan's government struggled to cope with twin deficits and unsustainable external debt. Before his election, the former cricketer had been a vocal critic of the corridor, citing a lack of transparency.

But with Bajwa at the helm and Khan now making CPEC a cornerstone of his development plans for Pakistan, CPEC power generation and transportation projects have taken off.

Since its inception, the CPEC Authority has drawn flak from opposition parties, mainly the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party, which advocate for the strengthening of existing civilian institutions involved in the CPEC.

The parties aligned against the bill have also mounted brazen opposition to the army's role in politics. They have organized rallies across the country under an alliance called the Pakistan Democratic Movement, alleging that the ruling PTI has framed them under fake corruption cases with the backing of the army.

----------

Pakistan is set to pass legislation that would place a supranational body that oversees the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's flagship Belt and Road Initiative, under control of a Pakistan Army that would also gain sweeping powers.

A parliamentary committee earlier this month passed the CPEC Authority Bill 2020 despite strong opposition from some lawmakers. According to Junaid Akbar, chairman of the parliamentary committee, the bill will be presented to parliament for a final vote in the second week of December.

Pakistan's government under Prime Minister Imran Khan and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, considered to be aligned with the interests of the army, had been working for months to get the draft bill through the committee. The proposed law seeks to reinstate the controversial CPEC Authority -- which has been defunct since the expiry of a presidential order in May.

If enacted, the legislation will shift control of CPEC projects from the planning and development ministry run by a civilian bureaucracy to the CPEC Authority headed by retired army Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa. In addition, Bajwa would report directly to the prime minister instead of the ministry and replace the planning minister as co-chair of a Pakistan-China joint committee.

Despite the lapse of the presidential order, Bajwa has continued to preside over the CPEC Authority as chairman, a situation that has led opposition legislators to question the legality of his position. In a briefing to the committee, the planning ministry denied having a CPEC Authority chairman; it also denied that it gives Bajwa any salary or perks.

Outside observers say the machinations reveal a military that is asserting itself as the elected government endeavors to find its footing.

"The civilian leadership [under Khan and PTI], which had never held national power until winning the 2018 election, has struggled with public policy on multiple levels," Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank, told Nikkei Asia. "This move can be seen in part as a military power play to assert more influence over a key project that it believes it is better qualified to oversee.
Riaz Haq said…
ML-1 Project: How can an outdated railway line change the destiny of Pakistan? - BBC URDU

https://youtu.be/D7pTwYlzkrI

یک وقت آئے گا جب پاکستان میں ٹرینیں بنا توقف 160 کلو میٹر فی گھنٹہ پر دوڑیں گی اور لاہور سے اسلام آباد آپ صرف ڈھائی گھنٹے میں پہنچ پائیں گے۔ کراچی سے حیدرآباد تو صرف ایک گھنٹہ لگے گا۔ یہاں تک کہ مال بردار ٹرین بھی 120 کلو میٹر فی گھنٹہ پر چلے گی۔ ایسا اس وقت ہو گا اگر آٹھ برس کی مدت میں کراچی سے پشاور تک جانے والی مین لائن ون چین کی مدد سے بحال ہو پائے گی۔ اس سے نہ صرف ریلوے کو نئی زندگی ملے گی، پاکستان کی معیشت بھی اس سے مستفید ہو گی۔ ایم ایل ون کیا ہے، کس حال میں ہے اور کیسے بحال ہو گی، دیکھیے ہمارے ساتھی عمر دراز اور فرقان الٰہی کی اس رپورٹ میں

Riaz Haq said…
#ImranKhan opens several #CPEC projects in #Balochistan:
Gwadar Fertiliser Plant
Gwadar Animal Vaccine Plant
Henan Agricultural Industrial Park
Hengmei Lubricants Plant
Gwadar Free Zone Phase Two
Gwadar Expo Centre
#Pakistan #China #development #Gwadar
https://www.dawn.com/news/1633343/pm-imran-launches-various-mega-projects-during-visit-to-gwadar

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday performed the groundbreaking of phase two of the Gwadar Free Zone (GFZ) and launched a number of other development and infrastructure projects including an expo centre, agriculture industrial park and three factories.

During a single-day visit to Gwadar, the premier also inaugurated phase one of the GFZ, reviewed the progress on various development projects, and witnessed the signing of a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs).

He was given a detailed briefing on the progress of the south Balochistan development package in line with the government’s efforts of focusing on the province.

MoUs signed:

Implementation agreement of 1.2 million gallons per day desalination plant
Solar generators grant from China for south Balochistan
On the occasion, agreements were signed on solarisation and a desalination plant to solve the problems of Gwadar related to water and electricity.

In his address at the launching ceremony for the projects, the prime minister lamented that many areas in Pakistan including Balochistan had been left behind in development. He said development plans for Gwadar had been made for some time but the lack of any real implementation was due to common issues such as supply of water, electricity and gas, and connectivity with other areas.

Riaz Haq said…
Water Released In Much Awaited Gomal Zam Dam Canal

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/water-released-in-much-awaited-gomal-zam-dam-942427.html

Member Provincial Assembly, Faisal Amin lauded the efforts of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and Chinese and Turkish engineers for releasing water in Gomal Zam Dam canal for the first time on Tuesday
TANK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Jun, 2020 ) :Member Provincial Assembly, Faisal Amin lauded the efforts of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and Chinese and Turkish engineers for releasing water in Gomal Zam Dam canal for the first time on Tuesday.

The project, conceived in 1898, took over a century to be built but has changed the whole landscape. "Salute to Chinese, Turkish, FWO PAKISTAN, WAPDA and Pakistani staff who made it possible," he remarked.

He said dam would usher a new era of prosperity and green revolution in district Tank and DI Khan, adding that the dam is located in South Waziristan, Barrage at Girdawi that would help irrigate 200,000 acres of land in Tank and DIKHAN Districts, besides generating 17.

4 MW electricity.

He said most of the work was done before Pakistan Peoples Party government , which he said, stopped all payments.

Faisal Amin said, "thanks to aid from foreign countries and USAID Pakistan that the last remaining works were finished".
Riaz Haq said…
#Pakistan #Motorways: 171-Mile 4-Lane M-14 Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway to open for traffic on Dec 13, 2021. It's part of #CPEC Western Route. https://pakobserver.net/m-14-motorway-to-open-for-traffic-on-dec-13/ via @pakobserver

The Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway (M-14), a key section of the western alignment of CPEC, will be open to traffic on December 13, said Sajid Hussain, project director of the M-14 motorway, Gwadar Pro reported on Thursday.

A source added that the member motorways of the NHA board had informed the authority’s chairman that the motorway was complete in all respects and could be inaugurated even in early December.

He added that work was underway on construction of service areas. However, the main work has been finished, he said.

The M-14 motorway is the starting section of the western corridor of CPEC. It connects South KP, South Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan provinces with the M-1 motorway, intersecting the eastern alignment of CPEC at Hakla near Islamabad.

The provincial governments of KP and Balochistan are presently purchasing land for the next section of M-14, from Dera Ismail Khan to Zhob district of Balochistan.

However, the federal government has already initiated work on modifying the existing two-lane highway from Dera Ismail Khan to Quetta, capital of Balochistan, into a four-lane expressway.

This will drastically reduce the distance and travel time between northern and southern parts of the country. The corridor will finally lead to Karachi and Gwadar, thus providing for the shortest route of CPEC.

The M-14 motorway has been the most awaited CPEC section in Islamabad, as the expat workers to benefit from this motorway form the largest community in the federal capital. It is very exhausting to travel to Islamabad from southern parts of the country on existing roads.

The M-14 motorway will make our travel and life easy, said Siftain Khan, who hails from Dera Ismail Khan and works as an overseas education consultant in Rawalpindi, the twin city of Islamabad.
Riaz Haq said…
Wandering around the IK land

Development in Mianwali

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2333174/wandering-around-the-ik-land

Kamyab Pakistan is some indication that the bottom may begin to get serious attention

Kamyab Pakistan is some indication that the bottom may begin to get serious attention. His constituency has been looked after in the old ways that refuse to die. Federal PSDP is taking care of the Balkasar-Mianwali and Muzaffargarh-Mianwali roads, besides a CPEC connection. A Prime Minister’s Package for Mianwali is at work, with a hefty allocation of Rs54.03 billion. Had this amount been placed with the programme that fascinated him in 2002, Mianwali would have been transformed by now. But then politicians will be politicians! Roads fascinate them most as the highly visible transactional relationship with the voters. Little wonder, these claim the largest share of 34.1% in the total allocation. The road that enters Mianwali is now a modern, well-lit dual carriageway like any other in the country. Isa Khel boasts freshly laid-out farm to market roads. There is a difference with other such roads in Punjab. More than linking the farms to the market, they are linking villages with each other. Another difference is the second place given to health with an allocation of 29.1% of the total. Work on a large hospital has begun, though many villages are without a health unit. In case there is one, it does not have the necessary staff and medicines.

Education is a laggard, as in other parts of the country. Schools without teachers, teachers, and students without proper building and facilities tell a familiar story. The problem faced by girls completing primary education — the absence of middle and high schools — in reasonably close vicinity is more acute in the IK land. Namal University is a great institution; it will become greater if its catchment area turns out quality students. Not by the cadet college being built, though. Said the Quaid-i-Azam in 1927: “I know the conservative British mind, and I do not blame them if they cannot get rid of it from their heads, that the only method in this world by which you can get suitable boys for a military career is the public school system... there is no public school system [in] any other country that I know of.”
Riaz Haq said…
Pakistan’s Thar desert lignite coal boom gathers pace with SECMC mine hitting 10 Mt & SSRL mine starting up

https://im-mining.com/2021/12/31/pakistans-thar-desert-lignite-coal-boom-gathers-pace-secmc-mine-hitting-10-mt-ssrl-mine-starting/


During the course of operations, SECMC has maintained a stellar safety record following international and world-class benchmarks – a feat that has earned international acknowledgements from organizations such as British Safety Council. The Company has also adopted the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework to deploy high-impact interventions prioritising education, health, economic growth and women empowerment amongst other areas.

SECMC has also contributed to uplifting the local community by generating employment opportunities for the local population and creating other economic avenues for the community. It is pertinent to mention that 80% of the employees in SECMC are locals from Sindh where the project has provided significant socio-economic benefit to the local Thari population.

“The 10 Mt coal production mark is a commendable achievement considering the constant fluctuation and vulnerability in international coal prices,” said Chief Executive Officer SECMC – Amir Iqbal. He added that Thar coal is the best resource to help the national economy in terms of easing out the pressure on the Current Account Deficit and also indigenise the current energy mix which is heavily reliant on imported fuels. Currently, the second phase of the SECMC mine is already under development which will increase SECMC’s production to 7.6 Mt per annum with a cumulative power generation of 1,320MW.

Talking about the subsequent phase III expansion project, Iqbal said that the estimated investment for phase III expansion is to be approximately $100 million which will enable Thar Block-II to achieve a sustainable supply of 12.2 Mt of coal annually over the next 30 years. SECMC is expected to complete this expansion by June 2023 and with this expansion coal price of SECMC mine is to be reduced to under $30/t – making it the cheapest fuel source in the country ensuring economic stability and energy security for the country. In addition, phase III expansion will also enable Pakistan to save $420 million per annum on the account of import substitution whilst also leading to a reduction of PKR74 billion in circular debt on an annual basis.
Riaz Haq said…
First HVDC transmission line tested with full load of 4,000MW


https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/878333-first-hvdc-transmission-line-tested-with-full-load-of-4-000mw

Dubbed as flagship China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, 660kV Matiari-Lahore HVDC Line is the largest ever transmission sector project of the country in terms of its capacity as well as one of the longest in distance, connecting power generation units in the south with load centers upcountry.
“The HVDC line transcends a geographical length of about 900 km, marking the start of an era of long-distance power transmission in the country,” said an official of National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC).

“It is a unique project in the sense that it introduces HVDC technology for the first time in the national grid, enriching the technology mix of the grid.”

The official added that the trial operation was being carried out through NTDC transmission system.

“The Project has a design capacity of 4,000MW and will help evacuate power from cheaper Southern coal power plants and deliver it to load centers in the North of the country.”

Above all, the official said, the ongoing trial operation of the transmission line helped in contributing the record highest power transmitted on August 11, 2021 at 24,467 MW through the national grid.

“In 2020, peak load sustained by the national grid was 23,370MW for one day and in 2018 it was just 20,811 MW. With the launching of HVDC Matiari-Lahore Transmission Project, power dispersal capacity of the national grid has seen a massive jump of 4000mw in one go,” said an official.

He added that the ongoing trial operation marked one of the last steps in the completion of the project.

“In this last stage it will be trial-operated for a few days continuously at various power levels and under various configurations to test it in full running condition,” said the official.

Furthermore, the Capability Demonstration Test of the Project will also be performed during this period.

It is informed that the equipment debugging, station commissioning, and system commissioning up to the level of high power bipole testing of the project has already been completed, certified by both the Independent Engineer from Italy and Owner Engineer from Canada.

Despite Covid-19 pandemic, the overall work was completed by end of 2020. Earlier, the project was expected to be commissioned by March 2021 after going through trial run. However, after reaching an amicable solution, the contractor and NTDC agreed in writing to conduct trial run during peak load of summer months with COD in September 2021.
Riaz Haq said…
Naulong dam to irrigate 4,7000 acres near Jhal Magsi


https://dailythepatriot.com/naulong-dam-to-irrigate-47000-acres-near-jhal-magsi/

ISLAMABAD: The Naulong Dam Project will irrigate 47,000 acres of land near Jhal Magsi,Balochistan. The dam located on Mula River at Sunt near Gandawa City in Tehsil and District Jhal Magsi will help reduce poverty, socio-economic uplift, and women’s emancipation.

The dam would generate 4.4 MW of cheap hydropower energy, said an official of the Ministry of Water Resources. The dam is 186 feet high and has a total storage capacity of 242,452 AFd. Live storage is 200,000 AF.

The annual benefits to agriculture will be Rs. 2.017 billion, power Rs. 0.413 Billion, fisheries Rs. 0.018 billion. The dam will create 23,500 agricultural jobs. It would help protect the catchment areas from the deluge.
Riaz Haq said…
For a long time we have known that improved transport accessibility leads to more opportunities and better lives.

ANDREW DABALENSHOMIK MEHNDIRATTA|JANUARY 24, 2022

https://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/knowledge-action-new-way-maximize-impact-rural-roads

Accessibility describes how easy (or difficult) it is for people to reach services and opportunities. When you look at the data, significant accessibility gaps persist around the world. Globally 51% of individuals living in low-income countries reside within an hour of a city compared to 91% of individuals in high-income countries. This limited access to urban centers hinders rural populations from accessing services and opportunities, including healthcare, education, jobs, and markets. Gender plays an important role as well: as these findings from Pakistan illustrate, women typically must cover greater distances to reach basic services. Even for people living in cities, accessibility may vary depending on the availability of public transport, the impact of traffic congestion.

Lack of access is systematically linked to inferior development outcomes, even more so if motorized transport is not available. The inability to travel to healthcare facilities, for instance, has been associated with increased mortality and morbidity from treatable conditions. Conversely, improved access is often synonymous with improved development outcomes. For example, women with access to roads in Pakistan are twice more likely (14% vs 28%) to go to pre-natal consultations. In rural Morocco, girls’ enrollment in primary schools increased from 17% to 54% when their access to roads improved.

Looking particularly at rural roads investments, the construction of a new road can lead to a chain of positive impacts. When a rural community gets connected to the road network, people who could not reach healthcare, schools, or other essential services before are suddenly able to do so. Workers can access more and better jobs. Farmers can sell their products in more distant markets. But these outcomes can only materialize if rural road projects are carefully planned and prioritized. Also, while investments in road networks are often a critical first step toward enhancing accessibility, they should be integrated into a broader investment package targeting social and technological development overall.

However, transforming this knowledge into action had been hard to operationalize. Lack of data regarding the transport network, opportunities, limited computing power to calculate travel times in large areas and lack of consistent framework had made it hard for us to take this academic research into an operational reality. We needed to understand exactly which transport projects will have the highest impact on accessibility? How would this accessibility transform into household welfare? And how do we create tools to inform planning and investment decisions?

To address these questions, the World Bank’s Transport and Poverty and Equity teams jointly developed a new framework that relies on high-resolution mapping and other sophisticated analytical tools to provide a more granular view of how rural road infrastructure can benefit communities.

We are now able to deploy all that knowledge into operational action, by developing an analytical framework that highlights spatial disparities in access to services and opportunities, calculates the expected gains in accessibility from investments into road infrastructure and thereby informs the placement of transport investments throughout the region.
Riaz Haq said…
China’s belt and road projects will help lift Pakistan from poverty, says Imran Khan
Despite questions around Pakistan’s deals with China, its PM says CPEC and Gwadar port are viewed as ‘a great opportunity’
Khan told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Islamabad would support China at any time as its ‘all-weather friend’

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3166407/chinas-belt-and-road-projects-will-help-lift-pakistan-poverty


“I do not understand why there is this suspicion about CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] and the Gwadar port … what China achieved is really [why] we look at China as a role model, because never has a nation lifted so many people out of poverty as did China,” Khan said.

“This is really my main concern: how do I lift people out of poverty, how do we create wealth in our country? We see CPEC and Gwadar as a great opportunity for our geoeconomics, I think this is not exclusive between Pakistan and China. We invite any other country to join and invest in CPEC projects,” Khan said, referring to his policy on strengthening trade and investment with regional countries.
“We want to lift our poverty using the example of China,” he said.

CPEC comprises a network of roads, railways, ports, power plants, oil and gas pipelines and optical fibre cables. A main feature of the project is a road from Xinjiang in China’s far west to Gwadar port in Balochistan. Only around a third of the projects have been completed.

“The US is also a good friend of Pakistan, but it is different from the all-weather friendship with China,” Khan said, adding that in the past the US had switched between being friendly towards his nation and then sanctioning Pakistan over regional issues, including conflicts in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan-China relations have been stable for the past 70 years,” Khan said.



Riaz Haq said…
Suki Kinari Hydropower project to be completed by next year


https://youtu.be/vCfVyzArWUU

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https://nation.com.pk/10-Feb-2022/suki-kinari-power-project-a-symbol-of-pak-china-strong-bonds?version=amp

The project commenced in 2017 by “Suki Kinari Hydro Private Limited” and a Chinese “Gezhouba Group Company Limited” under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Project to be operational by April 2023 will provide electricity to 1.3m houses across

the country

The project stretched over 48 kilometres from Paras village along with the River to Palodhran in Kaghan valley. It is a diversion type hydro power project between high head and long tunnel with an installation capacity of generating power of 884 MW daily, Project Engineer Asad Bhatti told this scribe.

He said that the work on power house is also underway. The power house is located underground mountains approximately 30 kilometres downstream of the dam and the construction involves building of 30-kilometre tunnels for water flows in high mountains, which have been completed and finishing work of the tunnels is underway.

The project engineer also told the media the highly efficient Pelton turbines installed at the project will generate 3000 GWH of green electricity annually, sufficient enough to provide power to 1.3 million homes across Pakistan through the national grid. He said the power project will contribute to 14 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and will boost the regional economy by $3 billion. The total cost of the project is approximately $2 billion. About 83% of the construction work has been completed successfully and is likely to be operational in April 2023. "This power project and many other projects under the CPEC are provided complete security cover by the Pakistan Army through comprehensive security mechanism", GOC CPEC Security Division Maj Gen Kamran Nazir Malik told the media at the project site.
Riaz Haq said…
CPEC project keeps children fed


https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343158/cpec-project-keeps-children-fed

Hundreds of children belonging to lessprivileged families in the scenic Kaghan Valley are being fed on a daily basis at the under-construction Suki Kinari hydropower project along the Kunhar River.

The Suki Kinari dam project, one of the key initiatives of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is estimated to generate 884 megawatts of electricity, which will benefit 13 million households.

According to Mari Petroleum, around 6,000 locals are already involved in the construction work, and once complete, it will create hundreds of more jobs. It is a unique project for which a 30km long tunnel will be dug through the mountains and from where the water will be diverted to the power turbines with the help of pipes.

Launched in 2017, 83% of the work of Suki Kanari Energy Project has been completed. It is hoped that this project will be added to the national grid next year, increasing Pakistan's hydropower reserves by nine percent.
Riaz Haq said…
The extension of Kachhi Canal is being carried out through three different contracts with a cumulative cost of Rs19.5 billion.


https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/03/27/kachhi-canal-to-increase-agricultural-production-in-region-bizenjo/

Under the project, the existing main canal will be further extended by another 40kms.In addition, a 32km long water distribution system will also be constructed in the command area to irrigate another 30,000 acres of land in Dera Bugti district. WAPDA has already constructed a 363km main canal and 81km long allied water distribution system to irrigate 72,000 acres of land. The canal possessing a discharge capacity of 6000 cusecs, that takes off from Taunsa Barrage in Muzaffargarh district of Punjab, enters Balochistan’s Dera Bugti district

Kachhi Canal is a vital project to alleviate poverty and eradicate extremism in remote and backward areas of Balochistan by developing irrigated agriculture and an agro-based economy in the province. Experts have termed the land being cultivated in Sui and adjacent areas of Dera Bugti district through Kacchi Canal as a good omen for Balochistan as it has brought in a phenomenal change in the livelihood of the locals.

Riaz Haq said…
Nai Gaj Dam is an embankment dam currently under construction on the Gaj River in the gorge area at the edge of Kirthar Mountains range at about 65 kilometres (40 mi) north-west of Dadu city in Dadu District, Sindh Province of Pakistan. When complete, its power station will have a 4.2 MW installed capacity. Consultant supervision by Techno Consult International (TCI) from Karachi, Pakistan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nai_Gaj_Dam

Construction of the dam started in May 2012. Initially planned to be completed in 3 years, the project has been heavily delayed, increasing its cost from an initial estimate of Rs17 Billon to a revised Rs 47.7 Billion in 2019, with a completion now expected in mid-2021. Around 51% of the construction work was completed as of 2018.

It is estimated that water will be supplied from Nai Gaj Dam to 28800 acres land in tehsil Johi and 300000 acres in other areas of Dadu District. Moreover, Nai Gaj Dam will supply 50 cusecs of water to the Lake Manchar for decreasing its pollution. Furthermore, the water will also be supplied from the dam to Kachho desert and area of Kohistan in Dadu District. PM Imran Khan vowed to complete the project and expressed concern over ineptitude of sindh

Riaz Haq said…
Xinhua Video: New Gwadar International Airport

https://youtu.be/41pCsOkmBoI

Key Highlights

Being built by China Airport Construction Company

Rising Phoenix shape like a wing

4F class---2nd greenfield airport after New Islamabad Airport (longer than 1,800 meters)

3,650 meters long runway

Project started October 2019

Original schedule was for completion in 36 months

Delayed due to pandemic, now expected to be completed by December, 2022

Riaz Haq said…
For a greener and richer Gwadar: B&R Tropical Arid Non-wood Forest Center

http://en.ce.cn/Insight/202206/15/t20220615_37760375.shtml

GWADAR, Jun. 15 (Gwadar Pro) – “In the eyes of outsiders, high temperature and scorching sun may be a disadvantage of Gwadar, but in our view, the light and heat conditions here are a natural advantage for the development of agriculture and non-wood forest”, noted Zhang Saiyang, vice director of the Belt and Road Engineering Research Center for Tropical Arid Non-wood Forest and doctoral candidate of Central South University of forestry and technology, in an exclusive interview with Gwadar Pro.

The Belt and Road Engineering Research Center for Tropical Arid Non-wood Forest was jointly initiated and established by Central South University of forestry and technology, China Overseas Ports Holdings Co., Ltd. and Yulin Holdings Co., Ltd. for Gwadar ecological construction and industrial development. Since 2018, it has systematically improved the local soil conditions in Gwadar. Zhang told Gwadar Pro that the Chinese team combined the organic fertilizer collected from local sheep farm and leaves and other humus to mix with local soil in a certain proportion to improve the fertility and pH of the local soil. Besides, the local soil conditions were greatly improved by the team members planting legumes to use the nitrogen fixation of legume rhizobia.

“In addition to the soil, moisture is our long-term focus as well. With arid climate here, the irrigation method appears to be particularly important,” Zhang said, “after enhancing the soil water retention capacity through soil improvement, we mainly use a combination of sprinkling irrigation and drip irrigation to maximize water conservation. Not to mention that our selected varieties are drought tolerant crop with very developed root systems.”

By now, nearly 100,000 seedlings such as bananas, dates, orchid and figs have been cultivated here. Among them, bananas (Musa nana) are selected local varieties that can adapt to drought and high temperature and produce a large amount of fruit. In May, the center successfully held the first non-wood forest products-banana harvest festival in Gwadar Port. “Our production of bananas has attracted the attention of local farmers, who hope to buy banana seedlings to grow on their own land,” Zhang mentioned.

Moreover, figs are also a key economic crop here. Hundreds of fig seedlings have already produced a lot of fruit in just one month. More than 10 hours of sufficient sunlight per day and the temperature difference between day and night in the Gwadar region allow figs, a drought-tolerant and light-loving plant, to accumulate more sugar. According to the promotion plan, the fresh and dried figs launched by the center will have a place in the market.

“In addition to bananas and figs, which are familiar to Chinese people, the endemic crops of Pakistan, including Sesbania grandiflora and Ziziphus spina-christi, can also give full play to their economic value through our breeding techniques,” Zhang listed the local valuable economic crops one by one, “the leguminous plant Sesbania grandiflora is resistant to high temperature and drought, and has a large amount of fruit. It is a very good tree species for ecological greening and economic forest. Its fruit, as a woody vegetable, has been widely promoted by us in Gwadar, and then sold in the market. The local unique Ziziphus spina-christi is also drought-tolerant and light-loving, which can bear fruit several times a year. The seedling breeding, fresh fruit sales and juice processing of it have also been put on the agenda.”

As for the future planning, Zhang Saiyang mentioned that the center has set up “Gwadar Classroom” to train local workers. Opened in March this year, it has trained the first batch of modern agricultural skilled workers in the local area, laying a solid foundation for the local development of agriculture and non-wood forest industry, as well as promoting farmers’ employment and using their own land to start businesses.
Riaz Haq said…
MITHI: As many as 70 goats perished when lightning struck them in a village near Islamkot town during heavy rain that battered several parts of Tharparkar on Friday, though it redoubled joys of Tharis, whose very survival was dependent on rain.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1703753/third-spell-of-rain-lashes-lower-sindh-region


HYDERABAD: The new spell of rainfall forecasted to begin for the day began lashing lower Sindh late on Saturday night and continued for quite some time in Tharparkar, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Badin, Thatta, Tando Mohammad Khan, Matiari and Tando Allahyar districts. Luckily, no loss of life was reported from any part of the province.

Rain started at around 9pm and continued for over 45 minutes in Hyderabad, Matiari and Tando Allahyar district, hub of sugar cane production in Sindh, where it would benefit cane crop but it might prove detrimental to cotton that was sensitive to rain.

Rain in the catchment area of Darawat Dam in Jamshoro district increased the dam’s level by 0.5 meter, raising it from 112.70 meter to 112.75 meter. The dam had achieved its maximum storage level due to heavy rainfall when its spillways started operating for the first time since the reservoirs’ completion a few days back.

12mm of rainfall was recorded in Hyderabad city’s meteorological office and 9mm at the airport office. After 45 minutes of rain another spell visited the city at around 12am which continued or around 20 minutes. Since July 14 to 25, a total of 308mm of rain had been recorded at Met city office and 246mm from July 4 to 25 at Met airport office.

Meanwhile, Sukkur barrage reached medium flood level at 6pm on Aug 6 with downstream discharge at 350,045 cusecs and upstream discharge at 381,015 cusecs. On Aug 7, Sukkur barrage downstream discharge remained 350,080 cusecs and upstream at 384,560 cusecs, according to officials.

Guddu barrage was now having low flood with 370,836 cusecs at its upstream and 343,990 cusecs discharge at 6pm on Saturday. Kotri barrage was having normal flows with its upstream discharge recorded at 196,855 cusecs and downstream at 187,780 cusecs at 6pm the same day. Flows have lately dropped in the river system at all barrages in Punjab.

Growers’ bodies are demanding waiver in recovery of taxes and loans from farmers in rain-hit areas in the province where widespread damage to crops was reported during the first spell of rain in July when 85pc date crop in Khairpur was washed away.

MITHI: As many as 70 goats perished when lightning struck them in a village near Islamkot town during heavy rain that battered several parts of Tharparkar on Friday, though it redoubled joys of Tharis, whose very survival was dependent on rain.

The rainfall in hilly areas of Nagarparkar was recorded at 45mm. It had started raining in Mithi, Chhachhro, Islamot, Dahli talukas late on Thursday night and continued on Friday.

The weather websites including Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast more intermittent heavy rainfall in Tharparkar and other parts of the province till Aug 15.

Riaz Haq said…
East Bay Expressway (EBEW), New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA), China-Pakistan Vocational and Technical Training Institute (PCVTI), China-Pakistan 300 Bed Friendship Hospital, 1.2 million Gallons per Day (MGD) desalination water plant, and a number of other infrastructural development projects are some of the China-funded schemes.

https://nation.com.pk/2022/08/27/gwadar-undergoes-repaid-transformation-under-china-led-developments-report/


Many of these projects such as EBEW and PCVTI are functional. Others are expected to be completed soon. Since China’s takeover of Gwadar port in 2013, a number of direct and indirect benefits have been offered to the local community. Several job opportunities have been provided.

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In addition to the infrastructure developments, Gwadar is witnessing multiple social welfare programs, such as Gwadar Women’s Development Centre, aimed at skills development, women empowerment, and poverty alleviation. Furthermore, the planned projects can eventually make the locals self-sufficient.

Moreover, China has so far installed over 7,000 solar panels in district Gwadar to provide efficient electricity to local users. Gwadar port is functional with a remarkable capacity to process containers, bulk cargo, and LPG vessels. Hundreds of thousands of cargo is processed annually.

Recently, a web-based custom (weboc) service has been instituted as well, which will accelerate the clearance process.

In Gwadar Free Zone, more than 50 companies, both from Pakistan and abroad, have been registered and are in the operational stage.

The areas of manufacturing/ processing range from agriculture to trading, food processing, chemical fertilizer, metal processing and agricultural production.

The Scientific Research Laboratory in Free Zone equipped with sophisticated technology is working selflessly on modern techniques to explore new varieties of plants favorable to Gwadar’s environment.

So far, they have cultivated several varieties of bananas. Cultivation of other plants such as figs and king-grass which are seemingly unfeasible has made it possible for the local farmers to prospect new avenues of livelihood.

Apart from managing commercial activities, China Overseas Ports Holding Company (COPHC), the concession-holder and operator of Gwadar Port and Free Zone, has undertaken a number of initiatives in the social sector, within the port premises and beyond.

The China-Pakistan High School for girls in Faqeer Colony, which is governed by COPHC, has proved to be a great achievement in the education sector. The Women Garments Factory and the goat farm in the Free Zone, in addition to skills enhancement, are a source of livelihood for the local workers.

Besides, Chinese enterprises working in Gwadar, under the framework of CSR, extend a helping hand to their local brothers. During the floods earlier this year, COPHC reached the families on the outskirts of Gwadar. Edible items to 1000 affected families were distributed.

Fishing nets were given to the local fishermen. Apart from social services, China has also striven to enhance the institutional efficiency of Gwadar.

Motorcycles and laptops have been given to Gwadar Police to increase their productivity. For the pursuit of clean and green Gwadar, China-Pakistan Friendship Forest was established where more than 50,000 plants have been planted. This has improved the natural environment of Gwadar.

This is not the end. Gwadar is yet to achieve its full potential. With the construction of the breakwater, completion of the port’s dredging process and operationalization of the international airport, Gwadar port will truly prove to be the engine of Pakistan’s economic development.

The industrialization of the Gwadar Free Zone will start a new era for Pakistan’s progress. With the commencement of manufacturing in the free zone, Pakistan will emerge as a production hub in South Asia.

Exports will increase, curtailing Pakistan’s current account deficit and increasing the foreign reserves.

Riaz Haq said…
HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144

The main recommendation of the 1987 report on drought and famine conditions in Thar, prepared by the author, was that the changes taking place in Thar could only be consolidated through increased mobility and linkages of Thar with the rest of Pakistan in general and Karachi and Hyderabad in particular.

It was felt that, if a road-building programme did not take place, the inequities in Thari society would increase, since those who could hire or possess four-wheel drives would be the main beneficiaries of Thar’s huge mineral and livestock potential.

For mobility and linkages to happen, a road-building programme had been recommended, which envisaged linking the four Thar taluka headquarters with one another and with the national road network. However, it was not till the Musharraf era (2000-08) that a road-building programme commenced.

The roads have made transportation cheaper and easier. The old six-wheeler kekra [World War II era American truck], which was slow and consumed enormous amounts of energy plying on the desert tracks, has been replaced by normal Bedford trucks, which are cheaper to run and can carry 250 maunds as opposed to 150 maunds carried by the kekras.

It is claimed by the transporters that, earlier, it used to take three hours from Mithi to Naukot, but now this has been reduced to one hour. They also claim that the cost of petrol/diesel and maintenance of vehicles have been reduced by 20 per cent.

With the building of the road network, trade and commerce has increased substantially. Thar’s agricultural produce now goes to distant markets — six to seven lorries per day carry onions from Nagarparkar to Lahore, and vegetables and fruit from other areas of Sindh and Punjab are now easily available in Thar.

Unlike the situation that prevailed 15 years ago, there are cattle markets in the taluka headquarters, so the Tharis do not have to make the long trek on foot to Juddo to sell their animals. Shops carrying industrially produced household food have multiplied and sell items such as baby diapers, something quite unimaginable before. Every hour an air-conditioned bus, complete with TV and Wi-Fi (owned mainly by Pakhtuns and people of Mianwali based in Karachi) leaves for or arrives in Mithi.

The number of taxis operating in Thar has increased from 150 to over 400, while the qingqis in Mithi have increased from over 150 to over 300 since 2013. These taxis carry passengers not only within Thar but to distant locations all over Pakistan, while the qingqis have almost completely replaced transport animals such as camels and bullocks.

Bank loans for the purchase of taxis are available, but to buy the qingqis and trucks, one can only borrow from the informal market. Interest rates against loans are high and vary depending on how much advance payment can be made by the borrower, or if property or land can be mortgaged against the loan. Spare parts and mechanics for the maintenance of the taxis and qingqis are locally available, which was not so in 2000 and, very often, the vehicles had to be taken to Umerkot for maintenance purposes.

Almost all these different types of vehicles have no insurance, since the owners find insurance rates far too expensive and prefer to put their trust in God. The qingqi and taxi owners have no association but are of the opinion that they desperately need one to negotiate with government agencies and fight against the bhatta [protection money] that the police extorts from them.

An association is also necessary to resist pressure from national transporters’ associations, who coerce the Thari transporters to call a strike on their advice. This was not an issue in the past, because the kekras, which the new vehicles replaced, were collectively owned by seths in Umerkot and Naukot. One truck driver pointed out that there was a desperate need for a driving school in Mithi, because people who were learning to drive were dangerous and caused a large number of animal deaths.
Riaz Haq said…
HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144


The roads have also brought about a change in lifestyles and supported people in fulfilling their aspirations and needs. For instance, the kekras have been converted into water tankers; people can now actually order one by phone, to pick up water from Mithi and deliver it to the village. In many neighbourhoods, this is now the preferred source of potable water. The tanker is often shared by many families and this is encouraging the construction of individual underground water tanks.

Similarly, access to healthcare units, especially to the Civil Hospital in Mithi, has become a lot easier and faster, and has been of special importance in maternity-related cases. At a meeting of lady health workers (LHWs) attended by my colleagues and myself in 2011, the LHWs requested that they be given motorbikes now that roads had been built, as this would make their work easier. When told that their husbands and sons would not agree, one of them said that, earlier, they had not agreed to us working but now we work; so tomorrow we will also ride motorbikes.

A major change has also occurred in gender relations — males are less restrictive; there is an increase in education and hygiene; women can now move around without male escorts; women have more say in domestic affairs; and have learnt to talk and carry themselves with confidence, as they have got rid of fear. Before, they had to take permission to go to their parents’ house, but that is not so anymore in the majority of cases.

Clothes have also changed and, as one Thari woman put it, they now prefer to dress for ‘fashion’ as opposed to tradition. People have stopped using asli ghee [clarified butter] and taken to Dalda, and they no longer use bajra [millet] bread but purchase flour instead. As one old Thari put it: “Earlier, we would eat what we grew. Now, we sell what we grow and buy what we eat.”

In addition, weapons’ shops, the consumption of liquor, eating out and discussions on inter-caste marriages are increasing and becoming acceptable. Religious groups have also multiplied and have become the cause of considerable tension between different religions. There is also considerable questioning of the latter trend by a nascent civil society.

The number of shops has also increased — in Mithi there were 20 to 25 grocery shops in 2015, as opposed to seven or eight 10 years earlier. In some villages we visited, there were six to seven kiriana [grocery] shops, where only one or two existed in 1998. Earlier, their owners used to travel to Hyderabad to buy goods but, today, because of the road and mobile phone, they just order the items from Karachi and the transporter delivers them. The clients at the stores are both rural and urban.

Procurement of alternative energy sources like solar panels, easily accessible via the road network, has enabled Tharis to produce and consume goods that were previously scarce in the desert | White Star
Almost all the villages visited by me over the last decade and a half are still engaged in agriculture and herding. The majority of households do not own cattle or land and, although a minority, there are also villages where families do not have goats either.

Government jobs are preferred because of job security and because they add to the respectability of the person. However, the number of persons working in the public sector are negligible and are found only in better-off villages. The majority of households encountered do labour in the barrage areas or in the urban centres of Thar or Sindh.

Meghwar men also work in the garment industry in Karachi, where they save Rs 10-12,000 a month. These persons spend about four months getting trained in Karachi for the job. During this time, they receive no pay. The question is, can they be trained in Thar before they leave for Karachi? They also work as masons and building contractors in Thar’s expanding urban areas.
Riaz Haq said…
HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144


Spread all over Thar, the Meghwar community is endowed with great artisanal skills. Embroidery and weaving are their two more significant skills. They produce carpets, shawls, blankets (khatta), kurtas, tablecloths, bedcovers and trinkets, which are in great demand. In fact, business is so good that many middlemen have opened outlets in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and a number of smaller towns in Sindh and the Punjab. Access to these markets was previously difficult but, with the building of roads, this has become much easier.

In addition, tourism has expanded in Thar and tens of thousands of people visit the area every year after the rains and for the many religious festivals that the desert celebrates. The expansion of NGOs and the roads, put together, have helped increase both international and elite domestic tourism. Businesses dealing in handicrafts claim that they can increase their market size if a proper tourism programme is initiated by the government or a private enterprise. Women, who are the most important producers of handicrafts, should logically be the main beneficiaries of such a programme.

Twenty to 25 carpentry workshops have started functioning in Thar over the past 10 years. The carpenters are from the rural areas of Thar, where they worked for the rural population, who paid them in grain. According to them, they have migrated from the traditional beygaar [unpaid labour] and caste culture and are now paid in cash, which has given them both social and economic mobility.

They have strong links with Karachi, since they import timber from there. They also use local Thari timber, but there is growing resistance to it, as the trees, especially the kandi [Prosopis cineraria], are fast disappearing. The carpenters say that if they are provided loans for buying power tools, they could easily increase their work, as the demand for carpentry is unmet.

The building of roads has also led to the establishment of petrol pumps, CNG [compressed natural gas] outlets, and maintenance services for vehicles. This has created a very large number of jobs and brought in money to the rural areas. In addition, building materials, especially burnt bricks that were imported from the barrage areas at considerable cost, have become cheaper by about 18 percent.

Roads have also helped in the increase of salt and china clay mining and there has been a growth in the number of enterprises in this sector. There is general consensus that this has also resulted in more jobs, especially for those villages that are next to the mines. The lives of the families who have benefitted from this growth in the job market have changed and the first investments they make is in the building of pakka houses, with steel channel and brick-tiled roofs. Another important investment is in motorbikes, which makes flexible and faster mobility possible. People have sold their camels and donkeys to buy motorbikes.
Riaz Haq said…
HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144



However, a number of negative aspects were also discussed in village community meetings, especially in a 2011 visit. For household fuel, the population was still dependent on devi [mesquite] bushes. Many wanted gas cylinders and said that, with added income, they would be able to afford them.

Everyone complained of the disappearance or encroachment of gowcher [pasture] lands, because of government agencies or powerful individuals. Because the area is now connected by roads, land has become more expensive, which only the rich can buy to accommodate their enlarged families.

While people earn more, they also spend more, very often on things that they don’t really need. For instance, fresh milk is readily available in Tharparkar, but there is a growing preference for tetra pack milk and the use of mineral water is becoming increasingly popular — and to top it all, in weddings, baraats [wedding processions] no longer come in kekras, but in cars.

With the coming of roads, incidents of thefts have increased and the old method of investigating crime, by tracking footprints in the sand, is no longer feasible. No one abides by parking rules and regulations and so, although there are very few vehicles, traffic jams are not uncommon. Accidents involving cattle have increased substantially, and wildlife which was commonly seen while travelling on desert tracks is not visible anymore.

The coming of roads and the pressures of ‘modern life’ has also led to the establishment of a media sector, which is generating jobs in various taluka headquarters. Press clubs have developed where people can voice their concerns and show support or opposition to government policies. This is creating a more aware and politically involved population, and is providing news about Thar not only to Pakistan but also internationally, through channels such as the BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation] and VOA [Voice of America]. The more educated young Tharis are already working as journalists and reporters in the media industry and their number is growing.

One important trade that is seldom discussed, unless prompted, is related to wool and animal hair. An extensive discussion on it is available in the 1992 TRDP [Thardeep Rural Development Programme] evaluation and it was again touched upon by my colleague Mansoor Raza and myself in the bazaar in Islamkot.

It has been stated by middlemen in the trade that 10,000 maunds of wool are dispatched to the Karachi market every season and also to India. In Thar, this wool is used for making shawls. It is claimed that, if a mill for making thread from wool is set up in Thar, it would generate jobs and capital. But thread-making needs skill and training, so a training centre would be required. The cost of such a mill would be Rs 15 million and the process would also require non-saline water.

The roads have also impacted the agricultural sector. Animals can now be stall-fed with fodder from the barrage areas because of cheaper means of transport. Migration to the barrage lands in times of drought has become easier and trucks can also be used to transport animals. Because of the roads, men who migrated with their animals can also visit their families unlike before and, with the help of a mobile phone, can keep in touch with them. More than once it was mentioned that, because of the mobile phone, the mother could talk to her daughter who was married to a man in another village.

The building of roads and change in attitudes has encouraged the use of tractors for ploughing the land. This has damaged agricultural land and made it less productive, because tractor ploughing turns a much larger volume of soil than that done by an animal and, in Thar, only the top soil is productive. Tractor use is as expensive as using an animal (such as a camel) but it is much quicker, since it ploughs in less time.
Riaz Haq said…
HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144


Climate change is also affecting agricultural production in Tharparkar. Rain patterns have already changed, and this is affecting cropping patterns and will eventually also affect the technology of production. Fertiliser and pesticide has also increased and, with the use of the tractor, it is also destroying friendly insects and the soil. With increasing urbanization, the land under cultivation is also decreasing.

Education

There is a growing desire among young people to give up farming, although their elders find it difficult to come to terms with this reality. But farming and herding has to be replaced by something. To that end, the younger generation feels that they need to be trained as electricians, plumbers and tailors, and learn how to use industrial machines. This, they feel, would equip them for work in the urban markets of Sindh and beyond.

In every village visited, education was a priority, but it was claimed that at most only 50 per cent of the village children go to school. One of the reasons given for such low attendance is that, in most cases, there were no female teachers and not enough male teachers. There was also a lack of sufficient classrooms.

With the building of roads, the villagers are now more willing to send their children to school, including girls, since schools are easier to access. In case there are no schools in the village, they are even willing to send their children to the school of the neighbouring village. This holds especially true for villages that do not have middle and high schools.

However, they do not want to send their girls for higher school education to Mithi if it means living in a hostel. Living with relatives is also becoming impossible, since extended family relations were “not what they used to be.” This is in marked contrast to what a number of villages had demanded in 1998, that the government establish hostel facilities for girls at the taluka headquarters. Maybe this change is because of increased insecurity, given the anarchy that exists in other parts of Sindh.

With the building of roads, better incomes and contacts with the urban centres of Sindh, a demand for private schools has also risen and a number of them are operating today. Private schools have never been discussed earlier and nor has there been, to the best of Thari intellectuals and activists, a demand for them. But the demand has increased and a number of private schools are operating today.

In the opinion of Dr Khatau Mal, a prominent Thari intellectual, Thar needs O and A Level schools, so as to produce an elite that is at par with the elite of Sindh’s urban areas, and which will help them get into important decision-making jobs in the province and at the centre. Dr Khatau gave the example of a similar process followed in the Punjab and KP [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa], which helped in poverty alleviation and in the creation of an involved middle class. The counter-argument to this is that, once educated, the middle class would prefer to live in Karachi, Hyderabad and Islamabad, and only come back to Thar when it’s time to die.

A number of Thari activists have also argued that the migration of the potential middle class from the rural to urban areas will be a loss to the village, because it is this middle class that is the voice of the village. If they migrate, then only the landlord and the poor peasant would remain.

Another question that was raised was that people migrate in search of better education and facilities, business opportunities and professional jobs — can they not be provided in Mithi?

It was also pointed out, naming names, that the children of many Tharis who had studied in Karachi and Hyderabad abandoned Thar. It was further said that some sort of major investment in industry was needed to create professional and high-end jobs in the desert, with priority of employment given to the residents of Thar.
Riaz Haq said…
HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144


The old parts of the taluka headquarters in Tharparkar were segregated by caste. The lower castes, who cleaned the town and lifted the excreta, lived in the outskirts and wastewater and sewage was dumped in the depressions. Brick-paved open drains carried the sewage and wastewater to their disposal points. The neighbourhoods were clean simply because of the presence of a hereditary professional caste, whose job it was to keep them clean. This has changed to a great extent, because of large-scale rural-urban migration within Thar especially in the last 20 years.

With the building of roads and markets at some distance from the old neighbourhoods, new shopping areas, bus terminals, storage facilities and eating places have developed. With Tharparkar becoming a district in 1990, government and semi-government buildings, hotels, guest houses and government residential accommodation have also been built away from the old neighbourhoods. So one can say that, while the old town still exists, it is in a state of decay, and the new town, which has not been really built so far, is developing without a cohesive planning strategy.

The other visible change is the expansion of settlements on the periphery and within Mithi and Islamkot. Google Maps show that Mithi’s spread has increased by over 200 per cent since 2012 and there has also been considerable densification of the existing built form. The construction boom is so large that steel for reinforced concrete construction, when this note was first written in 2014, was short in supply. Contractors also claimed that local timber for traditional construction was no longer available due to deforestation.

The new settlements are established by enterprising individuals who occupy state land, subdivide it, and sell it to the migrants. Increasingly, however, groups of up to 50 households organise to occupy and settle land on the immediate periphery of the urban areas. Before moving on to the land, they find out about its status and make preparations of dealing with any problem that is likely to surface during the process of occupation.

The support of an influential in the process and the large number of persons involved in settling provide the necessary security from eviction. Once the settlement is established, they lobby with their elected representatives for a road link and electricity and promise their votes in return. These unplanned, randomly located settlements are an ecological disaster that will be a nightmare for future planners.

There is a need to document and direct this development so that the towns of Thar do not face the same problems as the towns of the rest of Sindh do today. For documentation purposes and planning, mid-level expertise is required and, hence, the establishment of a mapping and survey school and a polytechnic institute would be helpful.

Migrants give different reasons for migrating. One reason was that, in the village, the landlord made life difficult for them because, unlike their ancestors, they were not willing to do beygaar for them. Also, unlike conditions in the villages, they could do cash-paid work on a daily basis, educate their children, and become azaad [free]. All those spoken to had no intention of going back.

Excerpt reproduced with permission from Tharparkar: Drought, Development and Social Change by Arif Hasan, published in 2022 by Ushba Publishing International

Riaz Haq said…
IMF program in Pakistan undermines renewable energy roll-out - Bretton Woods Project

https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2022/04/imf-programme-in-pakistan-undermines-renewable-energy-roll-out/

The unprecedented rise in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Pakistan’s off-grid and weak grid regions in recent years has been a windfall for vulnerable communities. Buoyed by the GOP’s decision to waive taxes on solar products in 2014, the growth reflects solar’s suitability for powering tube wells, water pumps and purification systems for drinking water and irrigation in remote and water-stressed areas. The primary beneficiaries of this boom have been poor farming communities – especially women – who have historically struggled with access to electricity and water. Solar technology, however, is still a largely import-based market, and growth is likely to be slowed with users unable to meet higher prices.
Riaz Haq said…
India’s Trade Dreams Snubbed As The World’s Biggest Ship Gives It A Miss

https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/indias-trade-dreams-snubbed-as-the-worlds-biggest-ship-gives-it-a-miss/

India’s goal of being a trade hub hit a major snag on January 11, when the world’s biggest boxship, Ever Alot, gave it a miss because of port infrastructural issues. Meanwhile, the economically hit Sri Lanka and the south-east nation Malaysia have been visited by Ever Alot in recent times.

Although the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust highlighted that the Mundra Port run by Adani could handle the 24000 TEU ship, Ever Alot decided to skip it over the lack of a 17-meter draft. To berth the 400 meters long ship, such a draft was crucial.

So far, the Mundra Port has handled ships as big as APL Raffles, a 17,292-TEU ship, in January last year. The vessel was carrying 13,159 TEUs onboard at that time.

Riaz Haq said…
20 new projects in Gwadar on the way of completion during 2023: Report | Pakistan Today


https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/02/09/20-new-projects-in-gwadar-on-the-way-of-completion-during-2023-report/

These projects entail desalination potable water plant, Gwadar Free Zone North (Phase 11), Gwadar Safe City Project, New Gwadar International Airport, three electricity projects, Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan, Gwadar Tourism Project, New management model of Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute (PCT & VI), State of Art Shipyard Project, Oil Refinery project, Green Gwadar Project, Pak-China Friendship Hospital, fisher community projects, Gwadar Port dredging project, Export-oriented projects, Fishing industry, Warehouse industry, and Gwadar Huafa Exhibition and Trading Center.

According to the report, over the last 10 years since CPEC set its foot in 2013, Gwadar outlook is changing gradually and constructively, getting over daunting challenges including poverty, civic issues, water, electricity, employment, infrastructure, agriculture and on top of them blue economy.

In the past Gwadar was in shamble and disarray. Later in the course of 10 years, Gwadar has been making headway toward progress in a sustainable manner.

Many development projects have been completed so far including Gwadar Port, Gwadar Free Zone South (Phase I), Eastbay Expressway, Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute (PCT & VI), China-Pakistan Gwadar Faqeer Middle School, Fiber Optic, E-Custom system (WeBOC), Plant Tissue Culture Lab & Green House, livestock, women-led garment factory, Gwadar University and GDA-Indus Hospital.

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The city’s strategic location at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, coupled with its deep-sea port and modern infrastructure, makes it a hub for trade, transportation, and investment.

As a result, Gwadar is expected to attract a significant amount of foreign investment and economic activity in the coming years, emerging as a major contributor to Pakistan’s economic growth.

One of the most significant projects is the 1.2 Million Gallon Per Day (MGD) de-salination plant, expected to be fully operational by April 2023. This plant will provide a reliable source of clean drinking water to the residents of Gwadar.

In 2023, more than 4 lakhs of people of Gwadar are going to get rid of painful power woes as three electricity projects will power up Gwadar. The first project is about 100 MW Irani electricity from Gabd-Remdan (Pak-Iran border) to Jiwani Grid Station to Gwadar that will come on 1st March.

The second project is another 100 MW from Iran-Pangjur-Turban-Pasni to Gwadar that is going to be completed in current year. The third project is from Quetta, Nag-Besima section to Pangjur and then Turbat-Pasni to Gwadar.

Meanwhile 5 MW power supply will be available to Gwadar Free Zones North (Phase II). If all goes well, in the second step 12 MW power supply will be ensured for Gwadar Free Zone South (phase I) and Gwadar Port in coming months. Finally, the government also approved 300 MW coal-fired power project for Gwadar.

Another major project that is expected to pick more pace in 2023 is the development of the Gwadar Free Zone North (Phase II) spreading over 2,221 acres of land. Currently, export-based Chinese companies are very near building and running their factories in a few months.

The year of 2023 has also brought many fortunes for Gwadar’s fishermen regarding their livelihood to new housing schemes. The Balochistan Government has approved 200 acres of land for new fishermen housing colony for low-income fishmen of Gwadar.

Around Rs300 million has been allocated. Around 3,291 poor fishermen of Gwadar are going to get free of cost boat engines as the government has allocated funds of Rs823 million.
Riaz Haq said…
Work on first phase of Kachhi canal completed - Newspaper - DAWN.COM


https://www.dawn.com/news/1733179


DERA MURAD JAMALI: The first phase of the Kachhi canal has been completed while a survey to start the work on second and third phases was underway.

This was claimed by Kachhi Canal Project Engineer Syed Khalid Shah during a briefing to Balochistan Minister for Irrigation Muhammad Khan Lehri, who visited the canal along with Irrigation Secretary Abdul Fatah Bhangar and other officials.

In the first phase, the work on 363km has been completed, Mr Shah said, adding in the second phase, work on another 58km stretch would be completed. In the third phase, the remaining 44km portion of the canal would be built. As soon as the survey was completed, the work on second and third phases would be initiated, the minister was told.

Mr Lehri said with the completion of the first phase of the canal, over one lac acres of agricultural land would be brought under cultivation.

“It was a long-standing demand of the people of Nasirabad division which was fulfilled today,” Mr Lehri said, adding with the canal, a new era of development and prosperity would begin in Nasirabad, Jhal Magsi and Kachhi districts.

The farmers in Nasirabad would get water for their crops while the issue of clean drinking water for the locals would also be resolved.

He praised the efforts of Wapda and said it played an important role in completion of the first phase of the canal.

The work on the Kachhi canal project was set to be inaugurated in 2002 by the then president retired general Pervez Musharraf.

However, the project suffered gross cost overruns and an inordinate delay of almost two decades. Later, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi inaugurated the 300km project in 2017.
Riaz Haq said…
Barrick Gold Corporation - Reko Diq Mining Company Constitutes Community Development Committee for Locally Driven Development



https://www.barrick.com/English/news/news-details/2023/reko-diq-constitutes-community-development-committee-for-locally-driven-development/default.aspx


NOKKUNDI, BALOCHISTAN – Reko Diq Mining Company (RDMC), a subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation, has constituted a 25-member Community Development Committee (CDC) at Nokkundi in the Chagai district. The CDC comprises local stakeholders and community leaders who will guide the company’s social investment plan in the area.

Speaking at the event, Ali Ehsan Rind, the country manager of RDMC said: “In all its operations worldwide, Barrick strives to be a good corporate citizen and a genuine partner of the host communities in locally led development. With the formation of this CDC, representing all the key local stakeholders, I am confident that our work will become a catalyst for the social development of the local communities.”

The meeting was also attended by the district commissioner of Chaghi, the deputy director of mines (Balochistan), tribal elders, local notables and a cross-section of representatives from the district.

The Nokkundi CDC was formulated after an extensive consultative process and engagement with 62 stakeholders. Its mandate includes consultation for consensus on the selection of social investment initiatives to be undertaken by the company.

Community Development Committees
CDCs are our community development partnership model, comprised of community members, elected locally and include a representative from the company to ensure projects chosen align with the five sustainable development focus areas and adhere to our policies including procurement and accountable governance.
The formation of this CDC is a concrete step taken by RDMC to ensure that the business delivers social investment projects of significant and lasting benefit to the local communities among whom it will operate. The management of RDMC values sustainable development and mutual advantage and seeks to build a harmonious partnership amongst the communities in and around the RD project area.

Reko Diq will be a multi-generational mine with a life of at least 40 years. During peak construction the project is expected to employ 7,500 people and once in production it will create 4,000 long-term jobs. Barrick’s policy of prioritizing local employment and suppliers will have a positive impact on the local economy. The company plans to finish the Reko Diq feasibility study update by the end of 2024, with 2028 targeted for first production from the giant copper-gold mine in the country’s Balochistan province. The new Reko Diq agreement ensures that benefits from the project start accruing to the people of Balochistan well before the mine goes

Riaz Haq said…
CPEC Results According to Wang Wenbin of China

https://twitter.com/bilalgilani/status/1677391745112477696?s=20

Bilal I Gilani
@bilalgilani
CPEC projects are creating 192,000 jobs, generating 6,000MW of power, building 510 km (316 miles) of highways, and expanding the national transmission network by 886 km (550 miles),” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing."


Associated Press of Pakistan: On July 5, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif while addressing a ceremony to mark a decade of signing of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), said that CPEC has been playing a key role in transforming Pakistan’s economic landscape. He also said that the mega project helped Pakistan progress in the region and beyond. What is your response?

Wang Wenbin: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a signature project of China-Pakistan cooperation in the new era, and an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of CPEC. After ten years of development, a “1+4” cooperation layout has been formed, with the CPEC at the center and Gwadar Port, transport infrastructure, energy and industrial cooperation being the four key areas. Projects under CPEC are flourishing all across Pakistan, attracting USD 25.4 billion of direct investment, creating 192,000 jobs, producing 6,000 megawatts of electric power, building 510 kilometers of highways and adding 886 kilometers to the core national transmission network. CPEC has made tangible contribution to the national development of Pakistan and connectivity in the region. China and Pakistan have also explored new areas for cooperation under the framework of CPEC, creating new highlights in cooperation on agriculture, science and technology, telecommunication and people’s wellbeing.

China stands ready to work with Pakistan to build on the past achievements and follow the guidance of the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries on promoting high-quality development of CPEC to boost the development of China and Pakistan and the region and bring more benefits to the people of all countries.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202307/t20230706_11109401.html
Riaz Haq said…
Chinese companies help in improving social sector


https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1086783-chinese-companies-help-in-improving-social-sector

Islamabad: Chinese companies have enhanced their role in social development of Pakistan, while addressing the country’s economic and development issues. The companies are an integral part of CPEC. They are the torch bearer of this flagship project of BRI. They are not only helping Pakistan overcome its infrastructure problems but also investing in social development, skills, and environmental protection in Pakistan. All Chinese companies are investing in social development, but only a few have been selected for discussion, a report carried by Gwadar Pro. The Chinese companies not only helped to create thousands of jobs but also invested in building the capacity of hundreds of engineers and staff members.

According to available data, Huaneng Shandong Rui Group, which built the Sahiwal coal power invested in 622 employees for building their capacity and sharpen their skills. Further segregation of data shows that 245 engineers were trained following the need for required skills at plants. Port Qasim also contributed to building the capacity of engineers and staff members. Data shows that 2,600 employees benefited from the capacity-building and skill development opportunities offered by the Port Qasim plant. It trained 600 engineers and 2,000 general staff members.

It is a huge number, especially in the engineering category. It will help Pakistan; as Pakistan has a shortage of qualified and trained engineers. These companies also assisted Pakistan during floods and COVID-19. Second, the Chinese Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) is another Chines company, which is investing in social development. The major contribution of COPHC is in the sectors of education, waste management, environmental protection, and the provision of food.

Riaz Haq said…
Gwadar’s 1.2 MGD water plant completed: GPA - Pakistan Observer

https://pakobserver.net/gwadars-1-2-mgd-water-plant-completed-gpa/

In order to provide clean water to residents of Gwadar, 1.2 MGD seawater desalination plant has finally been completed as per schedule. Formal inauguration is all set to be executed by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif during his likely visit to Gwadar after Eid Holidays. Talking to Gwadar Pro, Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) project director Dawood Baloch said water desalination plant has been done and dusted with a grant of Rs. 2 billion from China in collaboration with Gwadar Port Authority (GPA), National Engineering Services Pakistan and China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC).

Along with completion of Civil, mechanical and electrical work, Central room of 1.2 MGD desalination water plant is now up and running, he informed. Almost 90 percent manpower and human resource, he said, have been hired from local market of Gwadar and Balochistan. On a query, he said that all related equipment and apparatus have been installed in befitting manner to keep desalination water plant functional with full capacity.

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Gwadar to get clean drinking water

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2406514/gwadar-to-get-clean-drinking-water


QUETTA:
A pipeline 152 kilometers in length, connected to two newly-constructed dams, Shadi Kor and Sod, will provide clean drinking water to Gwadar city.

"The government is taking all possible steps to prevent a water shortage and supply clean water to the people," Public Health Engineering (PHE) Secretary Saleh Baloch said. Uninterrupted water supply to people's homes should be ensured, and no negligence will be tolerated in this regard, he added.

He expressed these views while presiding over the review meeting regarding Gwadar's ‘Ab-noshi’ projects. Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Izzat Nazir Baloch, PHE Executive Engineer Shakeel Ahmed Baloch, Development Institute Gwadar Chief Engineer Haji Syed Muhammad Baloch, Health Engineering SDO Engineer Shezar Amir, and other officers were also present in the meeting.

Chief Engineer Syed Muhammad Baloch said that the water capacity of Shadi Kor Dam is 35 thousand acre-feet, while the water capacity of Sod Dam is 46 thousand acre-feet.

Riaz Haq said…
Quetta to get 8.1m gallon water from Mangi dam - Pakistan Observer

https://pakobserver.net/quetta-to-get-8-1m-gallon-water-from-mangi-dam/

Mangi Dam is to be completed by December 2023 to provide around 8.1 million gallon of water daily to Quetta city and surrounding areas, an official of the Balochistan government said on Monday. The development work on Mangi Dam had been accelerated which would help overcome the shortfall of water in the area, he added.

The construction of various dams on the outskirts of Quetta city including Mangi Dam, Srah Khullah Dam and others would supply water to Quetta through pipelines. With the completion of these projects water issue would be resolved in the provincial capital, he added.
Riaz Haq said…
Gwadar to turn into economic hub with airport operationalisation


https://www.nation.com.pk/28-Jun-2023/gwadar-to-turn-into-economic-hub-with-airport-operationalisation

ISLAMABAD-The establishment of New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) is a shining example of collaboration between China and Pakistan in the area of aviation, as Gwadar is going to turn into an economic hub and tourist destination following the expected completion of this project in September 2023, said aviation consultant Muhammad Afsar Malik. “The NGIA will be the largest airport in Pakistan after its operation,” said Afsar Malik. Test flight operations were made at the NGIA in March 2023, and currently the main terminal building has been undergoing indoor mechanical and electrical equipment installation and decoration operations. Afsar said that construction work on the runway of the airport, including taxiway and service lanes, and navigational lighting system has also been completed.

Due to its modern design, and infrastructure facilities, the NGIA is estimated to be the biggest airport in Pakistan, capable of handling A380 aircraft. Highlighting the potential and capacity of the NGIA, Afsar Malik added that it will not only boost the development of Gwadar, but also act as a portal for boosting trade between Pakistan and China. This newly built airport will elevate the geopolitical status of the region. “Owing to its geographical location, the NGIA will prove as one of the leading airports not only for Pakistan but also for the region to enhance regional trade and connectivity,” Afsar said while talking to WealthPK, adding that the airport will enhance connectivity and trade with Afghanistan, Iran, China, Kazakhstan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Qatar through the nearest available airports in the region.

The NGIA has set a shining example of the mega China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and the collaboration between China and Pakistan in the aviation sector. A senior official from Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCCA), pleading not to be named, told WealthPK that Boeing 747 and other Air Bus aircraft will be able to land at the NGIA with ease, and flights to India, Afghanistan, Iran, China, the Middle East, Central Asian countries will be made from this airport. The official said the NGIA is built with advanced facilities as four planes will be able to get landing simultaneously at this airport, a facility which is not currently available at any other airport in the country. “For the convenience of passengers, 39 hold-and-hang baggage scanning machines are being installed, and latest security arrangements have been installed at the airport with fool-proof security arrangements,” said the official. The areas adjacent to this new airport have been declared special security zones and fool-proof arrangements will be ensured. The official said that with the assistance of Chinese authorities, research is also being conducted to ensure clean and green environment in the areas of the NGIA. The length of runway is 3,658 meters, with the width of 75 meters to adjust big planes’ landing at this airport.

The NGIA is also facilitated with maintenance of planes. As Gwadar is going to become a hub of world trade following the CPEC projects, all the projects are being completed as per international standards.

More than 3,000 people will get employment opportunities at the airport, and trade and economic activities will get boost along with tourism potential as Gwadar, owing to its marine landscape, has unique prominence and attraction.

The Chinese government has financed the airport as part of the CPEC project, while the Sultanate of Oman also contributed $17.6 million for the airport project. A Chinese airport construction firm, Chinese Communication Construction Company (CCC), has been handling this project of $246 million, and following its completion, it will be operated and managed by the PCAA.

Riaz Haq said…
The mega undertaking (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC) has created nearly 200,000 direct local jobs, built more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) of highways and roads, and added 8,000 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, ending years of blackouts caused by power outages in the country of 230 million people.


https://www.voanews.com/a/top-china-official-visits-pakistan-marking-cpec-milestone/7204256.html


Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing earlier this month that CPEC projects "are flourishing all across Pakistan," making a "tangible contribution" to the national development of the country and to regional connectivity.

But critics say many projects have suffered delays, including several much-touted industrial zones that were supposed to help Pakistan enhance its exports to earn much-needed foreign exchange.

The country's declining dollar reserves have prevented Islamabad from paying Chinese power producers, leading to strains in many ties.

Pakistan owes more than $1.26 billion (350 billion rupees) to Chinese power plants. The amount keeps growing, and China has been reluctant to defer or restructure the payment and CPEC debts. All the Chinese loans – both government and commercial banks – makeup nearly 30% of Islamabad's external debt.

Some critics blame CPEC investments for contributing to Pakistan's economic troubles. The government fended off the risk of an imminent default by securing a short-term $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout agreement this month.

Security threats to its citizens and interests in Pakistan have also been a cause of concern for China. Militant attacks have killed several Chinese nationals in recent years, prompting Beijing to press Islamabad to ensure security measures for CPEC projects.

Diplomatic sources told VOA that China has lately directed its diplomats and citizens working on CPEC programs to strictly limit their movements and avoid visiting certain Pakistani cities for security reasons.

"They [Chinese] believe this security issue is becoming an impediment in taking CPEC forward," Senator Mushahid Hussain, the chairman of the defense committee of the upper house of the Pakistani parliament, told VOA in an interview earlier this month.

"Recurring expressions of concern about the safety and security of Chinese citizens and investors in Pakistan by top Chinese leaders indicate that Pakistan's promises of 'foolproof security' for Chinese working in Pakistan have yet to be fulfilled," said Hussain, who represents Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's ruling party in the Senate.

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