So what happened? According to the latest press release, its being said that the lack of communication/road infrastructure it makes it impossible for Gwadar to start operations until atleast 2011! What was going on in the last 8-9 years of unprecedented growth and development then? What happened to the record 134 billion rupees shortcut parachute aziz announced 3-4 years ago, that would be spent on mega projects?
Gwadar received a wheat delivery in March 2008 and I guess one could say it is now operational. For now I think there is limited storage space. I dont see why communications is a problem with a new highway linking it to Karachi and new roads bing built linking it with Quetta and then Central Asia and that Karachi is accessible by sea even.
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
**KARACHI: **Gwadar port cannot be made operational before 2011 as it lacks required infrastructure, communication network and utilities, Minister for Ports and Shipping Qamaruzzaman Kaira said on Tuesday.
“I am shocked to learn that the port has no proper road linkages. No rail network. Even electricity is not there,” he told reporters after inaugurating an overpass on MA Jinnah Road.
He said many cases of embezzlement, corruption and misuse of authority were reported in the Gwadar port, and other allied projects.
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
Spock pls include the links too. Thanks.
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
Here’s a link i found pertaining to the topic. Not sure if this is the same as Spock’s source.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008/05/28/story_28-5-2008_pg7_3
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
So we have a statement from Qamaruzzaman Kaira, but do we have facts as well?
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
Oh im sure its another 'dubai' as stated by shortcut Aziz already! hehe
There is no railway link but there is a planned one. Who said there is no proper road? I have travelled from on the Mekran highway myself from Karachi to Gwadar. Gwadar and Karachi are also connected by sea.
Electricity? Who ever said this is completely mad and biased and has never been there. Gwadar and Turbat (Quetta too) are not suffering the same electricity problems as the rest of the country because the first 2 cities buy their electricity from Iran.
Gwadar has started receiving deliveries although there is limited storage space.
Here is a photo and this is a Canadian ship that brought the wheat to Gwadar in June.
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
So we have one shipment, and we should believe its another dubai? 
I am sure the minister in charge knows more than you joke. The bigger question is, what happened to the promises made and all the money allocated? Another thing Shortcut Aziz should be held accountable for.
My personal experiences count more than a newspaper article. You may not like Shaukat Aziz but don’t get into that position where you want to believe everything negative to suit your feelings. Some of the things this minister has mentionned are just not true.
Who knows? Maybe Gwadar has had more shipments since that 1? No one has ever said it will be a new Dubai just yet but there is a huge potential there. Its not exactly been the fastest moving project but what is in Pakistan?
No need to worry about Shortcut when now we have the great Zardari in power and I am sure he will turn Gwadar into the financial capital of Pakistan
gwadar can't be operational before 2011
CJ will singlehandedly make gwadar operational (with one functional eye and all). just you watch.
My personal experiences count more than a newspaper article. You may not like Shaukat Aziz but don't get into that position where you want to believe everything negative to suit your feelings. Some of the things this minister has mentionned are just not true.
Who knows? Maybe Gwadar has had more shipments since that 1? No one has ever said it will be a new Dubai just yet but there is a huge potential there. Its not exactly been the fastest moving project but what is in Pakistan?
No need to worry about Shortcut when now we have the great Zardari in power and I am sure he will turn Gwadar into the financial capital of Pakistan
Why would the minister come and tell the press there has been massive fraud, and the true state of affairs? If you are impressed by a bunch of sparse cranes (which by the way hardly move), then I leave it upto your imagination to think of Gwadar as another 'dubai' and live in your own world. Honestly, its nothing to be impressed about, and the false promises are once again the only thing shining out in this new port.
I think you should re-read my message and then comment.
My life does not revolve around what untrustable politicians say in the twisting media.
If you believe what politicians say and if you believe what the media sas then your lost.
No one is saying Gwadar is Dubai maybe except a few deluded politicians. Gwadar is one of the shantiest towns I have ever seen within Pakistan and I have travelled around most of the country. The anti-Musharaf brigade must not discard Gwadar as a project just to get back at him. Gwadar can be a success and the lives of the people in that region can change at least if the project is managed carefully - personally i dont think anyone can do that within pakistan.
As for what the previous Government promised well a lot of their promises are unfolding now.
My simple point is that whatever was stated in that newspaper ie no electricity, no communications links - simply not true at all.
One positive benefit from the Mekran Highway is that more people are visiting Gwadar as tourists and it has generated a mini tourist boom as its about 8-11 hours from Karachi - depending what you travel in and how fast.
I hope Gwadar does become a success. I dont care who does it. I hope its managed carefully. If it is a success it can only be a plus point for Pakistan. If its a failure it will be a minus point for all Pakistanis as a whole.
Why would the minister come and tell the press there has been massive fraud, and the true state of affairs? If you are impressed by a bunch of sparse cranes (which by the way hardly move), then I leave it upto your imagination to think of Gwadar as another 'dubai' and live in your own world. Honestly, its nothing to be impressed about, and the false promises are once again the only thing shining out in this new port.
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
So much for a 'glittering Dubai of Pakistan' where along with China, regional history was to be made! Hopefully they can get at least some use out of it to recover cost!
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
Amen, 8-9 years of mismanagement got the best out of this project. P.s. joke, you keep referring to a wheat shipment gwadar got, heres an interesting article:
Maqbool Malik
ISLAMABAD - The call of first-ever merchant ship Panamax class bulk carrier ‘POS Glory’ at deep-sea Gwadar Port in mysterious circumstances last month has raised many eyebrows.
Background discussions with shipping industry sources by TheNation have revealed likelihood of a deliberate attempt to bring POS Glory, 75,000DWT to cover up some major unlawful activity relating to country’s so-called first deep-sea port.According to the sources, POS Glory was in fact too large a ship that could take berth at the port because of constraints relating to permissible draught to sail through the port’s navigation channel.
As a result the ship that sailed from Canada to discharge 72,000 tons of wheat at Gwadar was forced to anchor miles away in the sea and was made able to discharge remaining wheat only after offloading up to 9,000 tons by another merchant ship m.v. Hyderabad of national flag carrier, National Shipping Corporation of Pakistan (PNSC).
This, sources maintained, had led to increase in the cost of shipping the commodity at the user end.
Sources argued that call of POS Glory would not have caused such an embarrassing situation had the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) maintained the planned 14.5-meter depth, whereas the existing depth of the channel and three operational multipurpose berths was stated to be 12.5 meters by the time the POS Glory reached the outer anchorage of the port.
Sources blamed the GPA to be largely responsible for the mess created by the arrival of such a large ship, and apprehended that the port authority was caught in the middle because of its failure to maintain the required depth.
They also blamed the port manager and operator Singapore-based firm PSA and its Pakistani associates that have been favoured by the former government by awarding unprecedented 40 years tax free concession in February 2007 and could have advised the GPA not to allow call to POS Glory in the given situation.
Since the award last year, the PSA has neither made any worth mentioning investment nor it has installed any cargo handling equipment as per the agreement. Sources said the company had recently undertaken installation of container handling cranes.
Sources further pointed out that the PSA had no operational activity in the entire Middle East region after it abandoned the Aden port few years ago but had secured the Gwadar Port concession although there were two other potential investors including the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports Holdings and Dubai-based DP World.
Courtesy: The Nation, 3/4/2008
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
The news report is bogus. May be the meant to say that it full not be fully operational until 2011, which I still think is bogus. The fact is that Gwadar port is operational right now, but it cannot anchor the biggest of the ships, because construction isn’t complete.
Pakistan is not China or an oil-rich Gulf state that all these developments will happen over night. Wait and watch.
We had one shipment, and thats enough to counter this pointless thread that the port cannot be operational before 2011.
Do you want me to post more pics of the shipment that arrived at Gwadar?
The news report is bogus. May be the meant to say that it full not be fully operational until 2011, which I still think is bogus. The fact is that Gwadar port is operational right now, but it cannot anchor the biggest of the ships, because construction isn't complete.
I think I'll take the Governments word over yours. Thank you.
What desperation does to people
Only the personal stories of Spock are acceptable in this forum, especially when he meets Immi for 5 seconds and now knows the deepest darkest secrets of his heart.
Re: Gwadar - Cant be operational before 2011
^ Atleast my story is backed by a newspaper article, unlike you are your MQM/Mush buddies claiming Gwadar is the next Dubai and they have somehow visited this paradise. So if Gwadar is the next Dubai, what happened to it, why isnt it acting like the new dubai?
I think I'll take the Governments word over yours. Thank you.
You mean that you will take the government's/news report's word over pictures that clearly show ships arriving at Gwadar? That is ignorance at its best!
By the way, there have many news reports from few weeks ago that covered the story of the Canadian ship that unloaded at Gwadar port. Will you also deny these?