Gwadar port to boost regional trade, development and connectivity
Gwadar Port opens new avenues of trade via sea for Pakistan with the beginning of Afghan transit trade on Friday.
A ship from Australia carrying 16,400 tonnes of fertilizer for Afghanistan anchored at the Gwadar Port under the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement.
Advisor to PM on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razzak Dawood informed that a ship carrying 16,000 metric tonnes of urea and fertilizer for Afghanistan had arrived in Gwadar.
The advisor said that it was for the first time that the fertilizer will be locally packed so as to offer jobs to local laborers only.
“For the first time, bagging will be done locally instead of foreign ports. Urea will be bagged and shipped on trucks to Afghanistan at Gwadar, which will generate employment for the locals. Instructions have already been passed to allocate all labor jobs to the local population,” Dawood said on Twitter.
Chairman China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Asim Saleem Bajwa also hailed the news saying it is “a dream come true for the local economy” as it will stimulate business activity.
Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Atif Mashal welcomed Pakistan’s decision and appreciated efforts by the Pakistani advisor. Ambassador said Pakistan’s decision to allow Afghan traders to import goods via the Gwadar port will boost bilateral trade and transit ties between the two countries.
Chairman of Gwadar Port Authority, Naseer Ahmed Kashani, said that another ship loaded with 16,000 tonnes of urea and 500,000 tonnes of sugar and wheat would reach the port next month.
The first operational use of the Gwadar port began on January 14 when the port officially started taking cargo under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) in January 2020. This allows landlocked Afghanistan can import and export goods via Pakistani land routes.