Islamabad: Maritime Affairs Secretary Rizwan Ahmed recently stated that the federal government had provided its approval to a draft of the Gwadar Smart City Master Plan, a news source reported on December 4.
He was briefing a subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The session was held under the chairpersonship of Munazza Hassan to discuss and review audit observations regarding Maritimes Division. The secretary stated that the Gwadar Port City would emerge as the new business hub for Pakistan, China and Central Asian countries including Afghanistan within the next three to four years; adding that the Gwadar Port was conducting most of the transit trade activity for Afghanistan.
He further stated that the federal government was in contact with Uzbek authorities to set up a dry port in Gwadar in a bid to facilitate all Central Asian Republics (CARs) in their trade-related endeavors. He said that Uzbekistan had expressed its intent to relocate their exports and imports to Gwadar as it was the nearest port city for them. With regard to the Gwadar Smart City Master Plan, the official said that Gwadar’s population was expected to exceed the two million mark; further stating that high paid expatriate professionals would comprise 80 percent of the total population.
Ahmed said that the provision of a tax-free environment would attract investors, thereby creating employment opportunities. Additional facilities, he stated, will include high-tech industries, mega shopping malls, luxury resorts, and manmade islands.
The 75-page master plan draft has been prepared by the China Communications Construction Company in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA). The plan envisages the economic development of Gwadar with a projected GDP per capita of USD 15,000.
Moreover, it details major city developments such as international exhibition centres, multiple theme parks, luxury resorts, botanical gardens, museums. Other mega projects include 15 new power plants (to be developed at a cost of approximately USD 5 billion), desalination plants (expected to provide 700,000 m3 of fresh water on a daily basis), and a central business district.
The government anticipates Gwadar’s annual economic output to exceed the USD 30 billion mark and hopes to create 1.2 million jobs for both skilled and semi-skilled workers. Further, the city is likely to require 15,800 new homes by 2025, 47,600 by 2030, and 254,500 by 2050.
