On September 9, 2016, China and Pakistan agreed to the development of Gwadar Smart Port City
Master Plan that would transform the existing city into a modern port of international standards to
promote local, national and regional growth in the coming decades. The project agreement was signed
on May 15, 2017 at estimated cost of $ 4 million. Work on the master plan began in August 2017 and
final report was delayed till June 2018. Locals in Gwadar lamented on increased sense of deprivation
despite the launch of development projects under CPEC. Land issues in Gwadar were also noted as 70%

land used in master plan was owned by private individuals/firms. However, the former CPEC project
director denied any delay as timeframe of project was 2 years. Plan completed and approved by the
Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) and ratified in 9th JCC meeting in November 2019. Total 73 locals
have got jobs under port city development.

Source
http://cpec.gov.pk/project-details/63
https://china.aiddata.org/projects/53725/
https://www.mfa.gov.cn/ce/cepk//eng/zbgx/CPEC/t1627114.htm