CHINA-PAKISTAN: GWADAR PORT BEING SEALED-OFF
Asia Times (December 25) said that citing security concerns in Balochistan, Pakistan authorities have planned to fence off the entire 24-square-kilometer area surrounding the Gwadar seaport to secure what they call the “crown jewel” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Pakistan army, in collaboration with the Makran Administration, Gwadar Development Authority, Gwadar Port Authority and the Balochistan government, would carry out the project under the Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan. Work on erecting barbed-wire fencing around Gwadar’s sensitive parts, which is planned to be complete in phases, has already started. Authorities plan to have 15,000 acres of land secured with iron barriers in the first phase of the project. To monitor the inflow and outflow of traffic, three entry and exit points will control passage to and from the gated city. Pakistan Government sources revealed that the “Gwadar safe city” would be equipped with more than 500 high-definition surveillance cameras to keep a close watch on “suspicious activities” or unauthorized or forceful intrusions into the city.
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