First cargo ship carrying wheat and urea reaches Gwadar port

First cargo ship carrying wheat and urea reaches Gwadar port but two top officials of the incumbent government named two different cargo ships.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Lieutenant General (retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa said first bulk cargo ship “MV Manet” carrying wheat and urea of Afghan Transit trade reached Gwadar this week.

First cargo ship carrying wheat

In a tweet on Saturday, he said a dream come true for local economy as it will stimulate host of business activity.

Interestingly, Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce and Investment Razak Dawood said that the cargo ship SIBULK TRADITION has berthed at Gwadar.

In a tweet, he said the cargo ship carrying 16000 Tonnes of urea for Transit to Afghanistan reached.

He called it a first and marks the beginning of a new era in Pakistan’s trade via sea.

However, the aforesaid top officials of the PTI government used the names of cargo ships MV Manet and Sibulk Tradition.

Both cargo ships registered in two different countries. Hence, the government officials need to clarify which cargo ship actually berthed at Gwadar port.

Meanwhile, Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Atif Mashal on Friday said Pakistan’s decision to allow Afghan traders to import goods via the Gwadar port in southwestern Balochistan province will boost bilateral trade and transit ties between the two countries.

Mashal’s comments came following the arrival of a cargo ship, according to China Overseas Port Holding Company which operates the Gwadar port.

Pakistan last month announced to allow import of the Afghan bulk cargo of wheat, sugar and fertilizers at the Gwadar port and onward transit to Afghanistan in sealable trucks, instead of being limited to containers.

“For the first time, bagging will be done locally instead of foreign ports. Urea will be bagged and shipped on trucks to Afghanistan at Gwadar, which will generate employment for the locals. Instructions have already been passed to allocate all labor jobs to local population,” Dawood said on Twitter on Friday.

The Afghan ambassador welcomed Pakistan’s decision and appreciated efforts by the Pakistani advisor.

“This will certainly have a positive impact on Afghanistan-Pak trade and transit ties. We must extend support to each other for revival of commerce and connectivity in Central and South Asia that will surely benefit people in the region,” Mashal said in a tweet.

GTV