There is a missing link between CPEC and KPT, says KPT chairman

Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Chairman Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar has said the port has all the potential and infrastructure to supplement CPEC, regretting there is a missing link between CPEC and KPT.

Presently the cargo handling share of the port has declined up to 60 per cent but the overall volume has increased and annually the port handles around 2.1 million containers, he noted. Jamil who was speaking in CPEC Summit in Karachi said that after the establishment of Pakistan Deep Water Container Port, it could handle mother ships which presently go to Sallala and Jabal All from where feeder services come to Pakistan.

`Karachi port is ideal to serve western parts of China and Central Asian countries, he added. However, he regretted that there was a missing link between CPEC and KPT.

Under CPEC, KPT could equally play its due role particularly when Pakistan would become a logistical hub and supply chain for South, Central and Western Asia, Middle East and Western China, he summed up.

Chairman Port Qasim Asad Rafi Chandna said the port being 35km away from downtown is ideally located for quick movement of cargo from and outside the port. It has a strong industrial base and connectivity with major road links to upcountry. `PQA has already started contributing towards CPEC projects as it houses some of the power plants set-up under the mega project and also coal terminal for supply of imported coal to Sahiwal coal run power plant. The port has become energy hub for the country where two LNG terminals are already operating,` he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman China Overseas Port Holding Compnay Gwadar Port Zhang Baozhong said the Gwadar Port has already put logistics in place because transport is available, warehouses and customs have also started functioning. Gwadar is a strategically located port with Suez Canal on one side and Malacca strait on the other, he noted.

The first Free Economic Zone at Gwadar had been developed where more than 40pc of investment is Pakistani. Banks, insurance companies, and leasing firms are working in the zone which enjoys tax exemption, he added.

Ghandhara Industries Ahmed Kuli Khan said the auto industry is ready to face the Belt and Road initiative (B&R), highlighting that the company could double its capacity in a short period. However, Mr Khan was not happy over the State Bank unwritten policy of not allowing banks to Enhance the auto industry.

Pakistan needs to modernize its trucking business and transport industry by introducing auto transmission and higher axle load with higher horse power. He further said CPEC is a big opportunity but only those vehicles be allowed to come from China which are not available in the local market.