Chinese shipment of around hundred trucks arrived at the Sost dry port in Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday.
The shipment is part of CPEC project between Pakistan and China formally became operational.
The shipment arrived more than two weeks after the first Chinese ship docked at Gwadar port that is the centre of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The corridor is about 3,000-kilometre long consisting of highways, railways and pipelines that will connect China’s Xinjiang province to the rest of the world through Gwadar port.
The first consignment, loaded on 150 to 300 trucks, was received by G-B Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman and the commander of the Force Command Northern Areas Maj Gen Saqib Mehmood, who had especially flown in to be at the historic occasion.
“This is going to be the fate changer for our country,” said Rehman after the ceremony at the Sost dry port, which has recently been handed over to the National Logistics Cell (NLC) for a period of 20 years.
“We will thwart conspiracies being hatched against CPEC,” he said in a veiled reference to India which has publicly opposed the multibillion-dollar project dubbed ‘game-changer’ and ‘fate changer’ not just for Pakistan but for the entire region.
“Personnel of army, police and special CPEC force are providing foolproof security to the convoy,” added the official, who is privy to the development.
“Some of the Chinese shipping containers were unloaded at Sost dry port where the goods were reloaded on to Pakistani containers for onward journey to Gawadar.”
As the convoy drove through Danyor town in Gilgit via Karakoram Highway, residents lining both sides of the road waved to the truckers. The trucks were festooned with banners having pictures of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.
“Wish you best of luck,” said a resident as he prayed for the success of the project. “Long live Pak-China friendship,” said another resident.
