Tag: Gwadar

  • Gwadar stadium hosts first cricket match, dedicated to Ali Sadpara

    Gwadar stadium hosts first cricket match, dedicated to Ali Sadpara

    It was a sight for sore eyes as the cricket stadium in Gawdar city, dubbed by many as the world’s most beautiful one, hosted its first ever cricket match on Friday.

    The picturesque stadium, surrounded by the majestic mountains and hills, is hosting a match between the Showbiz Sharks Vs the Gwadar Dolphins. Prime Minister Imran Khan dedicated the match to the unsung hero, Ali Sadpara.

    Sharing the images from the stadium, the official page of Khan wrote: “The first ever cricket match being held at Gwadar cricket stadium, the match was dedicated to Muhammad Ali Sadpara.”

    Zulfi Bukhari seconds Khan. “Dedicating the 1st ever match at Gwadar Stadium to Pakistan’s son #MuhammadAliSadpara. The match tomorrow will start with a prayer in his memory,” he tweeted.

    “This is the beauty of our land, even our loss unites us from K2 to Gwadar to Quetta,” he added.

    According to a report, the Showbiz Sharks were being led by PCB CEO Waseem Khan and will include Fakhr-e-Alam, Faysal Qureishi, Ali Zafar, Saleem Sheikh, Aijaz Aslam, Shezad Roy, Sami Khan, Kamran Jeelani, Salman Saeed, Ali Safina and Noman Habib.

    The Dolphins, on the other hand, were being led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari and features local players and Ali Zaidi and the GOC Gwadar.

    British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner, officiated the toss between Zulfi Bukhari and Waseem Khan.

    Cricket buffs couldn’t hold back from tweeting pictures of the stadium. Here are some of the tweets:

    The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis decided to jump on the “Pawri Hori Hai” bandwagon.

    One Twitter account uploaded the new PSL banger playing loudly in the stadium.

    Zulfi Bukhari’s ministry tweeted a few pictures of the Dolphins’ captain on the field.

    Christian Turner himself was pretty excited to be at the venue.

    Before the game commenced, prayers for Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara and the other two foreign climbers were held who went missing with him on their adventurous expedition to K2.

    Sadpara was recently declared dead by his family.

    The stadium was first highlighted by singer, actor and TV personality Fakhar-e-Alam, who tweeted pictures and videos from the stadium.

    Soon, the International Cricket Council (ICC) caught wind of it and shared pictures of the stadium, upsetting some Indian cricket fans in the process.

    Meanwhile, sharing a video of the stadium, Aijaz Aslam wrote: “World’s most beautiful cricket stadium Gwadar.”

    Earlier Faysal Qureshi and wife, Sana faysal also shared pictures and video of their visit to Gawadar.

  • Pakistan wants China to ease terms on debt repayment, says report

    Pakistan has approached China with an informal request to ease terms on the repayment of debt on about a dozen power plants set up under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor over the past eight years, Bloomberg reported.

    “The parties have canvassed Beijing’s willingness to stagger debt payments, as opposed to lowering equity returns,” the report said, adding that Pakistan has yet to make a formal offer. The report claimed that “Pakistan will formally make the request…after it concludes deals with those local power producers to reduce electricity tariffs”.

    A spokesperson at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they aren’t aware of Pakistan’s plan to seek debt relief.

    “Energy projects have provided Pakistan with a large amount of stable and low-priced electricity, effectively reducing the overall price of electricity in Pakistan,” the spokesperson told Bloomberg. “China-Pakistan energy cooperation has progressed smoothly and brought about real economic and social benefits,” it quoted the official as saying.

    Pakistan’s power division didn’t respond to the US-based business media outlet for comments.

    According to Bloomberg, an enormous build-out of Chinese-financed power plants in Pakistan, which was originally intended to solve its electricity shortages, has resulted in a surplus that Islamabad isn’t able to afford.

    While Chinese financing has helped Pakistan diversify fuel supplies, it has also resulted in a surplus of electricity, which is problematic for the government in Islamabad because it is the sole buyer and pays producers even when they don’t generate. To help tackle the issue, the government has negotiated with power plants, which produce roughly half of its electricity, to lower rates.

    After these negotiations, the government will approach the Chinese government for debt relief, it added.

  • Pakistan’s first manmade island to be built in Gwadar at a cost of $10 billion

    Pakistan’s first manmade island to be built in Gwadar at a cost of $10 billion

    Pakistan’s first manmade island — ‘Chaand Taara’ — will be built in Gwadar at a cost of over $10 billion. Shaped like a moon and star to represent Pakistan’s flag, it will form the cities of the Central Business District in the port city on the southwestern coast of Balochistan opposite Oman.

    According to Daily Times, located on Marine Drive and stretching towards Zero Point on the Coastal Highway, the Central Business District is to include a state-of-the-art amusement park, art and culture museum, grand theatre, concert hall, international expo centre, 5-star hotels and resorts, multiple shopping malls and waterfront walk, and a shopping promenade to name a few.

    The mega-development project that will be built around Gwadar Tower — expected to be Pakistan’s tallest building — has been detailed in the Gwadar Smart City Masterplan. The 75-page detailed report has been under development by a Chinese state-owned enterprise with assets of over $132 billion, China Communications Construction Company, and the Pakistani government as a joint-venture.

    The master plan document, prepared in conjunction with Pakistan’s Minister of Planning, Development & Reform and Gwadar Development Authority, chalks out an elaborate road map and plan on how Gwadar is to become the trade and economic hub of South Asia with a GDP per capita of $15,000 — 10 times that of Pakistan’s average.

    In line with Pakistan and China’s grand development plans for Gwadar, it will be Pakistan’s first weapon-free city. The city is being developed under the highest of international standards to be an economic hub not only for Pakistan but for the region and for this reason a robust security environment will be developed to ensure security for foreigners and expats visiting it. The security plans include the highest levels of urban security mechanisms through CCTV, vehicle management, urban video and alarm networks, and police management programmes.

    The report also quoted Balochistan Governor Amanullah Khan Yasinzai as saying that the project will be a game-changer for the people of the region.