Worsening security situation halts work on Gwadar international airport
21 May 2011
Islamabad: As law and order in the Balochistan province continues to deteriorate, civil construction work at the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) has ground to a halt leading to concerns in Pakistan that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) may not be able to complete the huge project by the end of this year.
The project is scheduled for completion by 2011.
''The law and order situation as well as continuous resistance by locals in the acquisition of land has halted work at the NGIA,'' a senior CAA official on Thursday informed the Senate defence committee.
Reports suggest that the CAA has requested the Balochistan government to provide Frontier Corps (FC) personnel for security of construction workers at the project site. FC Inspector General Quetta has been requested to deploy FC personnel at the NGIA site as also the district police officer who has been asked to put up police pickets to provide security to workers on the NGIA site.
The CAA said they are still waiting for a response to this request.
While sounding a warning note that the project may not be completed by year-end, CAA officials said the local administration was not cooperating with contractors.