President General Pervez Musharraf inaugurated a coastal highway on Thursday linking Karachi with Gwadar deep-sea port being built with Chinese help. Musharraf inaugurated the 530km dual carriageway linking Karachi in the south with Gwadar to the south-west, where the port is expected to be completed in two months.
"The coastal highway and the Gwadar project is the beginning of a new era," Musharraf said at the inauguration ceremony near Ormara Naval Base in Balochistan. "They will go a long way in alleviating poverty."
The Makran Coastal Highway is expected to open up commercial opportunities for tourism and fishing.
Balochistan's coastal area has miles of unspoiled beaches suitable for tourism but access has been limited because of lack of roads and other infrastructure.
Officials said the government has spent Rs 10.5 billion ($175 million) since July 2000 when work on the highway began. Another stretch of 120km has yet to be made.
Gwadar will become Pakistan's second deep-sea port after Karachi.
Musharraf said that eventually it would be linked by road to neighbouring Iran and Afghanistan, spurring trade.
"Gwadar is now emerging on the map of the world and people around the world are looking at the opportunities available here," he said.
The $248 million project, largely funded by China, to turn a fishing port with a population of 60,000-70,000 people into a transit point for Central Asian trade has been touted as a showcase for foreign investment in Pakistan.
The opening of the highway leading to it came as Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was on a visit to Beijing.
Later, talking to a delegation of elected representatives of the province, President General Pervez Musharraf asked them to identify problems being faced by the people of Balochistan and play due role for their solution.
The delegation comprised federal ministers, members of the national and provincial assemblies, senators, Nazims and Naib Nazims and notables of Balochistan.
Balochistan Governor Awais Ahmed Ghani, Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf and Senator Mushahid Hussain were also present on the occasion.
The Makran Coastal Highway will reduce travel time from 48 hours to only seven hours from Karachi to Gwadar, while the public transport operators have considerably reduced the fares.
President Musharraf asked the elected representatives to work hard for the welfare of the locals and help them in the provision of jobs and provision of gas, electricity and water.
He said Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) would provide electricity to towns and villages of Balochistan on priority basis on the recommendations of the elected representatives.
He said that 12 new wings were being created under Frontier Constabulary where jobs would be provided only on merit to the local people. He said that one of the requirements has been relaxed to facilitate people of Balochistan in employment.
Similarly, people from the province would also get job opportunities overseas on merit. He emphasised upon youth to acquire skill-based education to get priority in job opportunities, especially in projects being carried out in their province.
On complaints about difficulties in obtaining computerised identity cards, President Musharraf said that Nadra's mobile teams would visit towns and villages for issuance of computerised national identity cards.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Yousuf said that the people of the province would never forget the efforts of President Musharraf in construction of various mega projects, especially Gwadar Port, Makran Coastal Highway and Mirani Dam.
He said that these projects would never have been initiated without the support and personal interest of President Musharraf.