Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the recently-inaugurated Gwadar International Airport a "gift" from China and said it would benefit not only the economy of the Balochistan province, where it is located, but the entire country.
The airport, funded and built by all-weather ally China, is Pakistan’s largest airport. It became operational on Monday with the landing of a Pakistan International Airline flight from Karachi carrying 46 passengers.
Sharif made the remarks while presiding over the federal cabinet meeting here, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
The prime minister said the Gwadar International Airport, constructed with a USD 230 million Chinese grant, “is a gift for Pakistan from China and we should honour it”. Built under the multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC), the airport is seen as important for boosting trade and regional connectivity by both countries.
"Gwadar Airport could bring about immense benefits to the people of Balochistan as well as the whole country if run on commercial lines," Geo News quoted the prime minister as saying.
Sharif called the start of flight operations from Gwadar International Airport a welcome step.
Equipped with modern facilities, the airport is expected to play a critical role in boosting regional connectivity and strengthening Pakistan's position in global trade and infrastructure development.
Talking about the situation in the province, which has been in the grip of violence for years, Sharif said elements involved in killings in the province were not only against Balochistan but “are the enemies of Pakistan”.
Balochistan has been braving violence for about two decades by the Baloch nationalists who accuse the federal government of stealing the mineral resources of their region, a charge denied by the federal authorities.
Underscoring that the enemies of Pakistan do not want the Gwadar Port's operationalisation, Sharif said that creating hurdles in the port's completion was also animosity against the country. The Gwadar port is also being built in the province under the CPEC.
Turning to the economy, Sharif talked about the record increase in IT exports in the country. He said witnessing the increase of IT exports to USD 346 million in December last year was welcome.
Sharif also called the World Bank's pledge to provide USD 20 billion under a Country Partnership Framework for the next ten years to support inclusive and sustainable development a positive step. He said investment would be made in different social sectors of the country under this Framework.
The prime minister asserted that all economic indicators showed a positive trajectory and called it a testament to the government's efforts to stabilise the economy.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
