The National Assembly standing committee on ports and shipping on Monday expressed concern over subletting of Gwadar Port operations to Singapore Port Authority (SPA). The committee met here in Parliament House, with Muhammad Khan Sherani in the chair, to discuss the details of the agreement pertaining to Gwadar deep-sea port.
The committee was not satisfied with the lenient attitude of the Ports and Shipping Ministry, and directed that the parliamentary should body be taken into confidence before signing any contract with other countries.
"We have protested over the lenient behaviour of Ministry officials. In fact, there was nobody to respond to our concerns during the last meeting requisitioned for the purpose," Nayyar Hussain Bukhari of Pakistan People's Party told Business Recorder.
He said that opposition members of the standing committee have already moved a privilege motion on the issue. He said that the government must inform public representatives prior to signing of such agreements of national interest.
"Gwadar port is one of the major projects undertaken by the present government; therefore, the Parliament should have been taken into confidence before handing over its operations to a foreign firm," he said.
"Nobody finalises the agreement in the United States unless the Congress gives its formal approval. How are they (Ports and Shipping Ministry) managing all the affairs?" he questioned. He said that committee members have asked the government to provide complete details of Gwadar port operations and the benefits of Rs 17 billion funds it has been spending on developing the deep-sea port.
Raising objections in the agreement, he said that the government has given 'extraordinary' concessions in the 100-page agreement. Furthermore, he said, the government has imposed complete ban on trade union activities. "That is unfair. We have asked them (Ports and Shipping officials) to provide us complete details and they would brief us tomorrow," he added.
Meanwhile, the committee also discussed the issue of job opportunities for Baloch at Gwadar, and directed the Ministry to take effective measures to ensure that employment at Gwadar port must be given to the residents of Balochistan by scrutinising their domiciles. Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Khan Ghauri apprised the committee about the details of Gwadar port contract.
Responding to the observations of the committee, he said that 30 persons from Balochistan were appointed at Gwadar port, but their orders were cancelled due to various complaints, and those vacancies would now be published in newspapers so that qualified persons, belonging to Balochistan, are provided equal opportunities. The meeting was attended by Muhammad Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel, Syed Ali Khan, Munir Ahmed, Hizbullah Bughio, Asiya Nasir and Hamidul Haq Haqqani.