UK Pakistani group commences ration drive in Gwadar

LONDON: A leading British Pakistani group has launched an initiative to provide hundreds of ration packs carrying three months' worth of essential supplies in Pakistan's southwestern port city of Gwadar.

Speaking to Geo.tv, Lt Gen (retd) Syed Sabahat Husain from CPIC said: "We would like to thank DG Gwadar Development Authority Shazeb Kakar [and] the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce for their ongoing support and the Pakistan armed forces for their ongoing support."

The distribution of ration packs — which include rice, flour, wheat, lentils, ghee, and tea — commenced earlier this week with International Port City acting as the distribution centre. Volunteers will distribute ration packs door-to-door to people who did not have "the means of transport to come to us".

"As a responsible organisation involved in the cohesive development of Pakistan, we are here to assist all institutions across the country regardless of geographic location," added Shah, who is also the founding member of the China Pakistan Investment Corporation (CPIC), a privately-owned real estate company.

The officials in Gwadar had requested protective masks from various people. Husain said he has pledged to donate over 50,000 masks to doctors, medical professionals and others in the city in order to combat the viral outbreak of COVID-19.

Balochistan, in which Gwadar is located, has so far seen upwards of 600 cases, of which more than 160 have recovered and eight have passed away. It constitutes over 50% of Pakistan's landmass but is extremely impoverished, with minimum health facilities.

Gwadar, the port city, is considered to be a game-changer not only for Pakistan but for the entire region and the world at large due to its strategic location and trade route opportunities.

The Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan, under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, also indicates how it is on way to embrace a futuristic vision and evolve into one of South Asia's major trade hubs.