Chagai To Be Linked With Gwadar, Afghan Border
The federal government intends to use road networks to connect the mineral-rich Chagai area with the Gwadar seaport and neighboring Afghanistan.
The recently proposed Nokundi to Mashkel road would be extended to Panjgur district, according to National Highway Authority sources, while another proposed route from Dalbandin to Chagai-cum-Ziyarat Balanoshi would be extended to the Pak-Afghan border.
According to sources, those projects were proposed by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, who belongs to the Nokundi town of Chagai district.
Chagai district is significant for its natural resources, which include the world’s fifth-biggest copper and gold deposit in the Reko Diq region, which is located in a triangle between the Iranian and Afghan borders. Through the Taftan border, this area also links the country to Iran through road and rail.
Mr. Sanjrani told that the road connecting Nokundi and Mashkel will cost around Rs7 billion to build. He stated, “This is a strategically vital project that will not only provide job opportunities but also connect Chagai with Gwadar seaport and the rest of Makran Division.”
Mr. Sanjrani said a new road was being built at a cost of Rs9 billion between Dalbandin and Chagai and Ziyarat Balanoshi, which would be expanded to the Afghan border to open new avenues for trade and travel between the two countries.
The Senate chairman stated that a university concentrating on minerals and natural resources will be established in Nokundi at a cost of Rs8 billion, taking into account the district’s mineral wealth.