Gwadar City » CARs

Editorial: Quiet summit on the side

admin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 11:38:09 +0000

Without arousing much attention in Pakistan, an important four-power summit has concluded in Dushanbe in Tajikistan after discussing “an increase of foreign investment in the sphere of hydropower projects, construction of transmission lines and development of transport infrastructure”. The four presidents who signed the summit joint statement were Mr Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan, Mr Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan, Mr Dmitri Medvedev of Russia and Mr Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan.

Significantly, there was a separate three-power discussion involving Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, which signed on implementing the construction of rail, roads and highways on the Panji Poyon-Sherkhon and Bandar-Kabul-Peshawar routes, giving Tajikistan access to sea through Pakistani ports. President Zardari ended up saying the Dushanbe summit decision would be appreciated by generations to come.

The Russian president was there when the summit appealed for investments and control of the smuggling of drugs and weapons and cross-border crime. Pakistan and Russia promised to push their stalled relationship forward by agreeing that “terrorism and militancy were not only a threat to peace and stability of the region, but to the world as a whole” and that the two would strengthen bilateral trade.

Around the same time last year a Pakistani delegation had gone to Dushanbe to talk about importing 1,000MW of electricity from Tajikistan and its neighbour Kyrgyzstan at a rate which was four cents less than the one Pakistan was paying to the IPPs. This year, too, there is talk of Central Asian electricity; and the summit declaration has talked about doing something about the “transport infrastructure” in the region. It is obvious that transport infrastructure is what is lacking, and Pakistan in particular should worry about facing the same kind of difficulties with electricity pylons as it is facing with its indigenous gas pipelines.

The Central Asian region is silently moving to a new political configuration and Pakistan can no longer separate itself from it just because it is negatively preoccupied in South Asia. This is more important because the time has come to think of connecting South Asia economically with Central Asia where Russia and China are the big factors of change. Those who say that Central Asian states are sparsely populated and therefore not important from the point of view of exports from India and Pakistan, must have also taken note of how Pakistan has been consistently looking to Tajikistan for the strengthening of its national power grid; and that Tajikistan has been eying Gwadar for an outlet to the sea through Pakistan.

Pakistan has been quietly supplying the food markets of Central Asia through smuggling. The Pakistani potential for growing food crops can only be realised if it becomes a permanent source of supply to the region through secure trade routes. Food in return for electricity would be a fair deal under any circumstances. Other countries including India can also share the route facilities provided by Pakistan — an MoU in this regard has already been signed by the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan — while a recently built bridge across the Amu Darya, the river which divides Afghanistan and Tajikistan, will allow Chinese goods to be sent down to Pakistan for export from Gwadar. China has already built a new road linking Xinjiang, its westernmost province, with Tajikistan.

Where China and Russia lead the regional groupings — as they do in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) — the effort is to replace terrorism with trade as the mode of communication between states. China was not in Dushanbe but its influence was unmistakable. It is the largest investor in Afghanistan and it is the closest strategic ally of Pakistan. The SCO to which all the summit members send their delegations targets Islamic extremism as the main source of terrorism in the region. President Rakhmon — he used to be Rakhmonov not long ago — guards the interests of Uzbekistan which is targeted by Tahir Yuldashev, the Uzbek warlord, who is hiding in Pakistan today and also operating against Pakistan’s interests.

It is important for Pakistan to become a player in the Central Asia region through trade and trade routes and stand firmly against the export of extremism from its non-state actors. Its geographic location sets it apart from other states of South Asia. It can enhance the importance of Central Asia and become a key regional state in the process.

dailytimes.com.pk

Road network expansion to promote trade activities

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:59:27 +0000

ISLAMABAD—Minister State for Communications, Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Warraich said Saturday the government was expanding network of roads to promote trade activities in the country besides with central Asian States.
He said the road network of Pakistan was playing an important role in boosting trade activities in the country and central Asian States, like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan including China.
He said to promote trade activities with Central Asian States, Pakistan signed quadrilateral agreement on March 9, 1995 while a protocol on custom procedure for goods in transit and passport visa regime for the implementation of agreement signed on November 24, 1998. Pakistan had taken a number of initiatives for the success of the quadrilateral agreement including up-gradation of Kara Kurram Highway (KKH) for incoming traffic from member states, he added.
Waraich said the work on 325 km long Raikot to Khunjrab section of KKH had been started with the cooperation of China while the work of upgradation of 480 km long area of KKH from Khunjrab to Hasanabdal was on awarding stage and work on this section would start soon.
The minister said the establishment of north, south Express Way/Motorway system and the development of links between National Trade Corridor and Gwadar port like projects have also been started to promote trade activities in a bid to alleviate poverty in the country.

dailymailnews.com

Gwadar Port To Be Linked With Central Asian States

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:33:23 +0000

ISLAMABAD: The Federal minister for Communication, Arbab Alamgir Khan has said government is working on a comprehensive plan to link Gawadar Port with International Highways particularly with Afghanistan, China, Tajikistan and other States of Central Asia.

He was talking with Ambassador of Tajikistan H.E Mr. Zubaydullo Zubaydov, who met him in his office here Monday to discuss the matter of trade development between the two country. Secretary Communication, Sharif Ahmed and Chairman National Highway Authority Altaf Ahmed Choudhry were also present in the meeting.

Minister said government is interested to complete all internal link roads to Gwadar as this road network will strengthen trade activities with neighbor countries. He hopes that neighbor countries would be taken benefit from the Gwadar Port. He said government has already allowed Afghanistan to use this port for their trade activities. Tajikistan and other Central Asian States would also be used this for their trade and business activities for which Pakistan will fully facilitate.

Federal Secretary Communication, Sharif Ahmed in the meeting disclosed that Pakistan is holding an International Conference in November to promote trade and economic activities in this region. More then 100 countries including neighbors and central Asian countries will attend the conference and exchange views relating to economic and trade activities as well as transportation system between the neighbor countries. On the occasion, The Ambassador of Tajikistan, H.E. ZUBAYDULLO ZUBAYDOV has said that Tajikistan is interested to promote trade activities with Pakistan as at present the trade volume between the two countries is very little and it should be enhanced. He said Tajikistan will fully support Pakistan in its plan of road development in Pakistan and border areas lined to Gwadar Port. He disclosed about 35 kilometers metle road has already available at Tajikistan border area to facilitate the transporters, which will be enhanced soon.

He said Tajikistan’s Minister for Communication will visit Pakistan soon to settle the matter of transportation facilities and development of road network from Pakistan to Tajikistan as Tajikistan is playing vital role promotion of trade activities between the Pakistan and CIS countries as Tajikistan is a gate way to Central Asian States.

onlinenews.com.pk

Trans-shipment for CARs offered at Gwadar Port

admin — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:58:27 +0000

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has offered separate terminals at Gwadar port to capture the transit trade of the Central Asian Republics (CARs) and other regional countries, said Nabeel Gabol, Minister for Ports & Shipping on Wednesday.

The minister in a statement issued here stated that Pakistan is ready to provide a separate terminal to Kyrghiz republic and would welcome all the neighboring states of the CAR’s to use the port as transshipment trade of the region.

“Gwadar port will give impetus to the economic growth of the whole region, especially the south and central Asian region,” the minister hoped while talking to Nurlar Aitmurzaev, Ambassador of Republic of Kyrghistan, who called on him here in his office in Islamabad.

The ambassador said that Kyrghistan is interested in availing the facility of Gwadar port and also in having a terminal there. Gwadar port is the closest to CAR’S and it could change the destiny of the people of the entire region.

He said that there is a need for strengthening the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), of which, both counties are active members.

thenews.com.pk