Ships loaded with urea dock at Gwadar port

Three cargo ships carrying around 96,000 tonnes of urea anchored at the Gwadar port as the federal government has decided to increase the bulk of cargo imported through the port to make it more functional.

According to official sources, the first of the three ships - all loaded with 32,000 tonnes of fertiliser each arrived at the port late on Sunday night, while the other two vessels docked on Monday.

Authorities have started processing the cargo, sources said, adding that the services of clearing agents from two local companies have been acquired for prompt clearance of the cargo, sources added.

The unloading of fertiliser has started with hundreds of labourers working to unload the cargo. The Gwadar Port Authority officials said the import of urea through Gwadar would help establish it as a regional hub of logistics.

"The transportation of imported urea to different parts of the country would engage large numbers of trucks and local goods transport companies," a senior official of the port authority said.

The authority and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs have been taking steps to make the Gwadar port more functional by importing not only urea and wheat but also enabling the trade of other goods in public and private sectors.The port was being utilised for Afghan transit trade while efforts were also underway to facilitate the private sector to import and export goods, officials told Dawn.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled that the local government (LG) polls in Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta divisions would be held on Jan 15 as per the schedule. The verdict was pronounced by the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on a petition filed by MQM wherein it had challenged the decision of the electoral body for the prospective use of two separate electoral rolls in the upcoming elections simultaneously.