Line edit: international policy journal
Gwadar Deep Water Port Project :: published 2004
excerpt
Gwadar port by virtue of its excellent locationGwadar is also visualized to as becominge a regional hub, serving in and out going commercial traffic to and of the Middle Eastern andfrom the Mideast, the Persian Gulf countries, theChina's Xinjiang province of China, Iran in the west and, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the south and east. Its strategic importance is enhanced due its location at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and at the opposite end of the strategic choke points of Straits of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman enhances its strategic importance. The Its development of Gawadar port could as well both favorably influence the geo-strategic and politico-military environment of the region and have an overall beneficial impact on Pakistan. Additionally, Gwadar the port should would facilitate efficient exploitation of the Pakistan's exclusive economic zone of Pakistan, which so far has remained largely unexplored.
The existing highways on the Afghan border, which connecting the border towns of Chamman and Torkham close to the Afghan border, provide the shortest all all-weather road and rail links for Gwadar. These roadsy, however, will have to be brought up to international standards, however, if Gwadar's potential of becomingas a major economic and commercial center is to be realized. Pakistan is already, with its 700-mile Mekran Coastal Highway, at workdeveloping the road and highway network connecting Gwadar with its own major cities and ports through the 700 miles Mekran Coastal Highway. The development of comprehensive network of roads and other communication infrastructure, however, would entails heavy a lot of investment and would take severala few years to complete. Similarly, rRail and air services between Gwadar and other important commercial nodes in Pakistan will have to be either upgraded or established and upgraded between Gwadar and other important commercial nodes in Pakistan.
The development of theA Gwadar port shwould have an extremely beneficial impact onalso benefit the overall economy of Baluchistan that happens to be the, Pakistan's most backward province of Pakistan., It willand unlock its the development potential of the hinterland. Regrettably, both the local people of the area, and more so the tribal leaders are not enthusiastic about the project and in fact. Ssome are activelyeven opposing itfor some real but largely misguided reasons. Their fears are that outsiders, whether foreign or domestic, will undertake the development work will be undertaken by either foreign companies or from people of other provinces and that there will be a heavy influx of people from outside threateningthis will threaten the identity and livelihoods of the local inhabitants. Tribal leaders who have monopolized power in the backward province of Quetta are apprehensive of losing their hold over the people when the project, which materializes. This would entail building a consensus through a sustained and well-coordinated political process and winning thelocal confidence of the local people, materializes.
Beijing, according to some sources, intends to takeing advantage of Gwadar's most accessible international trade routes to CAR and Xxinjiang has plans of subsequently linking their railways with Peshawar in North Western province of Pakistan. The plan envisages extending China's East-West Railway from the Chinese border city of Kashi to the city of Peshawar in Pakistan's northwest via its border city of Kashi. The incoming and out going cCargo to and from Gwadar can then be delivered to China alongthrough the shortest route, from Karachi to Peshawar. The same road and rail network couldan also be used for theto supply of oil from the Persian Gulf to the western provinces of China. Additionally, China could also gain rail and road access to Iran through Pakistan's internal road and rail network. Use of Gwadar port by China, after all, --one of the fastest growing economies in the world., Its use of a Gwadar port wshould accelerate the growth and development of both the port and the hinterland and as well as enhance its Gwadar's overall commercial and strategic value.
The Chinese have all along denied that the joint project of Gwadar project has any military dimension. and that iIt is, Beijing emphasizes, a civilian port. At the same time, but China--with heavy imports of Persian Gulf oil, most of which is being a heavy importer of oil from the Persian Gulf and mostly routed through this sea-lane--maintains that it has a justifiables interest in having secure and uninterrupted flow of oil is justified. By having jJoint naval exercises, goodwill visits by its naval vessels and increased trade and commercial activity with Pakistan are likely to raise China's, Chinese profile in the Arabian Sea is likely to increase.
