ISLAMABAD: The government is considering to shift 20 percent workload of Port Qasim and Karachi Port to Gwadar Port, on the recommendation of Balochistan government, official sources told Business Recorder. Gwadar Port is not yet fully operational.

The federal budget 2008-09 has earmarked Rs1 billion for setting up of Gwadar’s Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and Rs750 million for construction of new Gwadar international airport.

QUETTA: A division bench of the Balochistan High Court here on Wednesday issued notices to the Director General, National Accountability Bureau, Balochistan, and DG Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) for October 28 on a petition on alleged interference of the NAB authorities in private land affairs in Gwadar.

The development work on Golden Palms, a mega real estate project of Hashoo Group in Gwadar, would be completed by the end of next calendar year. Chairman Hashoo Group, Sadruddin Hashwani revealed this while highlighting his group”s role in the development of Gwadar – the future city of Pakistan, at a press conference held here[…]

Senator Babar Khan Ghauri told the Senate on Thursday that Gwadar Port was almost complete and President General Pervez Musharraf would inaugurate it on March 23.

A nine-member bench of the Supreme Court on Monday summoned a detailed report on the allotment of land in Gwadar to ministers, politicians and bureaucrats, and directed the Balochistan advocate general to cancel the allotments and return the land to the provincial government.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has in principal approved the handing over of the Gwadar Port operations to Singapore Port Authority. The decision has been made on the recommendation of Gwadar Port Implementation Authority (GPIA) and the special committee constituted to negotiate the agreement for operations of Gwadar Port.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Thursday granted 40-year tax exemptions to the proposed operators of Gwadar port, making it a virtual tax-free port to the extent of its development and operations.

The UAE”s DP World has dropped a bid to manage Gwadar port due to commercial reasons, a local newspaper said on Friday. “We have looked carefully at this opportunity and have decided not to pursue it,” Gulf News quoted a Dubai Ports World official as saying.

The government has decided to give the management control of the Gwadar deep-sea port to the Singapore port operator PSA International, Federal Ports and Shipping Minister Babar Ghauri said on Friday. Ghauri told reporters that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had approved awarding the contract to PSA and the company would take charge of the port[…]