Pakistan govt finds China's Gwadar marketing plan 'unsatisfactory'

Due to a delay in starting work on Gwadar power plant of 300 megawatts coupled with lack of transmission network, the cabinet committee also decided to import another 100MW of electricity from Iran to meet the port’s energy requirements, reports The Express Tribune.

The CCoCPEC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar and reviewed the progress on various projects under the CPEC and Gwadar Port marketing plan, according to a press statement as quoted by the newspaper.

The Gwadar Port and its Free Zone is said to be the jewel of CPEC but the progress on these two major CPEC initiatives remains far below expectations despite it being a top priority of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa.

The Chinese operators of the Gwadar port - the China Overseas Ports Holding Company Pakistan Limited (COPHC)- made a presentation on the prospects of the Gwadar port and its marketing plan to the committee, sources told The Express Tribune.

However, the cabinet members raised some serious objections over the marketing plan and found it unsatisfactory, they added.

A cabinet minister said that the plan lacked clarity on the strength of the Gwadar port - which is its strategic location. There was also no mention of industrial clusters that can be set up in the free zone, he added.