The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo on Monday urged the concerned officials to involve local people in development projects for Gwadar, the port city of Balochistan.
The 23rd meeting of the governing body of the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) was presided by CM Bizenjo, where he expressed his opinion that involving the local people in the development process would create a sense of ownership in them.
GDA Director General (DG) Mujeebur Rehman Qambrani briefed the meeting on agenda points. The meeting was attended by National Assembly’s member Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, Balochistan Assembly’s member Mir Hamal Kalmati, members of the GDA governing body and other senior officials.
Institutional budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 and amendment budget 2020-2021 with some objections were discussed in the meeting. The meeting was also briefed on issues related to town planning.
It should be noted that Gwadar is the base of China’s multibillion project with Pakistan named as China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Beijing project has been seen as a threat by the locals and political forces of Balochistan.
As the CPEC gets implemented in Balochistan, there is a fear of a massive inflow of migrants from different areas of Pakistan which will change the demography of Balochistan and reduce the Baloch people to a permanent minority in their historic homeland.
Pakistani authorities see the CPEC project as a “game-change”r in the region. Authorities believe that “infrastructure and development have played a crucial role in the economic progress of Pakistan.”
On the contrary, the residents of Gwadar city are reportedly deprived of drinking water and the fishermen are banned to fish. “CPEC project might open the doors of progress for Pakistan but it has become a curse for people of Balochistan,” Baloch political circles said.