Cargo shipment

Occasionally arranging some cargo handling at the Gwadar Port for inaugural ceremonies cannot make the port operational. The port will be operational when it is proved to the business community that it is cheaper to import/export through the Gwadar port as compared to existing arrangements. This can never happen as geographic position of Karachi cannot be altered. In order to dispel questions about viability of the port, the concerned authorities should indicate costs incurred on containers loaded on the ship on this occasion. Rough calculations indicate that Chinese containers must have traversed a distance of 5000 km and cost of operation of a heavy duty truck of $1.5 per km with empty return haul must have cost China $10,000 to $15,000 per container to perform this opening ceremony. Similarly, Pakistani importers and exporters would have incurred additional cost of carrying goods for another 600 km to the Gwadar Port.       

We have invested billions of rupees and dollars on developing a port that will make exports and imports expensive. This is not development. It is downhill slide. This is why, in spite of ten five year development plans, more than 100 billion foreign aid and more than 160 billion of foreign remittances, we are still an underdeveloped poor country with per capita GDP of about $1500. Projects like the Gwadar Port, Metro Buses and the Orange Line will continue to drain resources for years to come. They promise a bleak future.

Abdul Majeed

Islamabad

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On Sunday (Nov 13), the prime minister inaugurated the Gwadar Port and made it functional. The port marked the departure of the first trade cargo shipment. The route will play a vital role in the transportation of Chinese goods to the rest of the world. This will boost the economic condition of the region.

The CPEC is likely to create more than 100,000 job opportunities across the country. It is hoped that the project will be completed in time.

Abbiha Zehra

Karachi