Is Sharif planning a greenfield refinery project at Gwadar Port?
The government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is reportedly in the advanced stages of negotiations with Saudi giant Aramco to execute the greenfield refinery project at the strategic Gwadar Port and wants to complete the initial paperwork before its tenure ends in two weeks.
Can Gwadar be an oil refinery?
¡°Gwadar can only be a feasible location of an oil refinery if a 600km oil pipeline is built connecting it with Karachi, the centre of oil supply of the country,¡± the official said. There is currently an oil pipeline from Karachi to the north of Pakistan, but not to the east.
Why is Gwadar important?
Gwadar is a vital port for connecting three strategic regions, i.e. South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East in terms of oil and gas resources and trade impetus. The Gwadar port would provide a substitute route to the Indian Ocean or the South China Sea when the Strait of Malacca can be restricted by India.
Will Pakistan give a naval base to China at Gwadar Port?
A Pakistani strategist proposed that "Pakistan would give a naval base to China at Gwadar Port to minimize the cost of transportation of oil to China"; another specified that it "can serve as an alternate to the sea route that passes through the Straits of Malacca".