Indian Navy Chief over Gwadar

[Spring Onion]

Pak's new port has strategic implications for India: Navy chief

22 Jan 2008, 1425 hrs IST,PTI




CHENNAI: The Gwadar port being built by Pakistan with Chinese assistance in its Baluchistan coast has "serious strategic implications for India", Naval Chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta has said.

"Being only 180 nautical miles from the exit of the Straits of Hormuz, Gwadar, being bulit in Baluchistan coast, would enable Pakistan take control over the world energy jugular and interdiction of Indian tankers," he said delivering T S Narayanaswamy Memorial lecture in Chennai on Monday night.

The challenge for India was to balance relations with China in such a manner that competition for strategic significance of space in the Indian Ocean leads to cooperation rather than conflict, he said

"The pressure for countries to cooperate in the maritime military domain to ensure smooth flow of energy and commerce on the high seas will grow even further," he said speaking on "Oceanic Influence on India's Development in the next Decade."

Talking about "Chinese designs on the Indian Ocean," Mehta said China had a strategy called `String of Pearls,' as per which it seeks to set up bases and outposts across the globe, strategically located along its energy lines, to monitor and safeguard energy flows. "Each pearl in the string is a link in a chain of the Chinese maritime presence," he said.

"Among other locations, the string moves Northwards up to Gwadar deep sea port on Pakistan's Makran coast. A highway is under construction joining Gwadar with Karachi and there are plans to connect the port with the Karakoram Highway, thus providing China a gateway to Arabian Sea," he said adding that


Pak's new port has strategic implications for India: Navy chief-India-The Times of India

 

[roadrunner]

Good find. He's right, Potentially Gwadar and a strong local Pak navy could strangulate the final bits of Indian sea trade with Chabbar, after a land route blockade from Pakistan.

I really do think India's trade with all of Central Asia is in Pakistan's hands (and Central Asia's trade with India), and there's not much India can do about it.

 

[Spring Onion]

Good find. He's right, Potentially Gwadar and a strong local Pak navy could strangulate the final bits of Indian sea trade with Chabbar, after a land route blockade from Pakistan.

I really do think India's trade with all of Central Asia is in Pakistan's hands (and Central Asia's trade with India), and there's not much India can do about it.

Thats what i wanted to put into the head of that KENT which he failed to understand.


Apart from trade the strategic usgae of Gwadar is so much so that it has even sent US sleepless.

BUt at last despite opposition and chaos made in Balochistan by these vested intrests Gwadar is completed and Musharraf deserve all the praise for it.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

The Gwadar port is important not only for India, but also for the US.

And it is not the Pakistan Navy that is causing the concern.

It is the Chinese "String of Pearls" oceanic strategy, where initially, these pearls are to have electronic intelligence presence and thereafter to have naval presence.

International choke points are the fulcrum to naval strategy and the Strait of Hormuz is no exception. The criticality of these choke point i.e. Bab el Mandeb, Panama Canal, Straits of Malacca, the Suez Canal, the Straits of Bosporus etc require no elaboration.

The oil flow through this Straits od Hormuz is in the region 16.5 million bbl/d from Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, the Persian Gulf nations. This is a major source for charging the world industries, mainly Japan, China and Asian Countries. Thus, the importance.

The Chinese not having a blue water navy has adopted this String of Pearls strategy, not only to protect her economic interests, but also to have a naval presence as is essential for an aspiring global power. To this effect, in these pearls she has set up powerful electronic eavesdropping equipment to monitor the electronic traffic so as to evaluate a long term naval strategy. From Gwadar, the Chinese will be able to monitor US activities in the Middle East. Likewise, she will be able to monitor Indian activities in the Arabian Sea as she is already monitoring the same from her pearls in Coco Islands of Burma.

However, the Chinese are aware that they are in no position now or in the foreseeable near future to contest the US naval presence. Hence, she is also ensuring the contingency of land routes to funnel her oil supplies through Pakistan and the KKH, as also building a pipeline from the CAR to Xinjiang and beyond.

 

[Spring Onion]

very right just today China has signed an agreement with Pakistan with provision of millions of dolors to Pakistan for expansion of KKH.

can anyone analyse in depth how much strategic advantage Pakistan is going to have from it.

(though i know but anyting new ??)

 

[mujahideen]

The Indian Naval Chief called for balancing relations with China, but I say that Pakistan, India and China need a balanced relationship.

 

[IceCold]

Gwadar has just too much of importance and pakistan needs not only to guard the sea lanes to ensure the freely passage of friendlyships but also to use it as a strategic assest and cut all oil supply route when deemed necessary and inorder to achieve that, we need a strong navy, a navy that can pose serious threats to all those who desire otherwise specially India. Navy is in real bad shape and the need has risen where we should cut some funds from the army that is taking the larger part of the defence budget and invest it in the navy. Bringing up the navy has to be the top priority for us to achieve any significant strategic advantage of gwadar.

 

[IceCold]

The Indian Naval Chief called for balancing relations with China, but I say that Pakistan, India and China need a balanced relationship.

Pakistan and china have balanced relationship. Its just india that doesnt seem to fit in the equation. India wants to lead the affairs in SA with everyone following the lead and i dont see it happening in the near future. Just have a look at IPI project. Why do you think india backed out from it?

 

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

The strategic advantage would be visible within a year once the port becomes operational. This is the surface view----in depth, it would be a little difficult to fathom it out---the reason being that it would be all speculative. But if you look at the crystal ball to analyse the present political upheaval, power positioning of political alliances, the extremes the political parties are going to get in power and the tactics being used, the influence of western agendas in bringing these politicians back into pakistan would indeed paint a picture that whatever the present govt is doing is not being looked favourably in the west.

West is extremely concerned about the influence of china in the middle east and africa. Now this pipeline into pakistan could be a pipeline ending up in china as well in the future. There is no doubt that the west has been caught with its pants down while china was out signing and pocketing lease deals with the oil producing african nations.

Could it be possible that the gwadar port might become an oil terminal as well---a hub to supply oil to china through a pipeline---oil tankers laden with african oil exports downloading in gwadar from where it is pumped through a pipeline climbing through the karakorums into china.

Gwadar port has unlimited potentials---it will be another karachi in the making within the next 50 years----a major mega hub for trade and transportaion of goods, an oasis in the badlands.

The pakistani naval base in the viccinity would also prove to be a major headache or asset to friends or foes as you might want to look at it.

I donot doubt for a moment that pakistan will also have an adjacent airbase alongwith its naval installations to complement the naval presence. Oh my my my---you can just salivate thinking about the influence that you might have in any future conflict and the movement of the resources through the channel.

Gwadar is a win win situation for pakistan. For one time we have find a jewlel that every nation wants to be in its crown.

 

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

India backed out from IPI due to u s influence. U S will threaten to put sanctions on nations dealing with iran. India would not want to be sanctioned. Pakistan already made the statement that it does not care what anybody says or does. We will seek and get the most convenient resources of oil and gas that are available to us geographically. We are not going to take dictation from anyone regarding our gas pipeline with iran. This was the gist of the statement that Musharraf made a few years ago when asked about ' what if there are sanctions on trade with iran'.

 

[Energon]

Pakistan and china have balanced relationship. Its just india that doesnt seem to fit in the equation. India wants to lead the affairs in SA with everyone following the lead and i dont see it happening in the near future. Just have a look at IPI project. Why do you think india backed out from it?

The relationship between China and Pakistan is that of a benefactor and a client state, and hence by default not "balanced". India and China are militarily adversarial with Pakistan serving as a remote staging base for the latter to potentially accost the former.

India backed out from the IPI project since that was a contingent for the US led "Nuclear deal." There might have been other strategic risks as well on account of the increasing instability in western Pakistan which can severely compromise Indian supplies. All of this may however change if the Nuclear deal is completely laid to rest and if the PA is able to stabilize western Pakistan (at least along the Iran border ensuring safe passage for the pipeline all the way to India).

 

[Astra]

Pakistan and china have balanced relationship. Its just india that doesnt seem to fit in the equation. India wants to lead the affairs in SA with everyone following the lead and i dont see it happening in the near future. Just have a look at IPI project. Why do you think india backed out from it?

India backed from IPI project because we are sure that Pakistan cannot provide security for the Oil Pipelines.

 

[Astra]

Regd China, as long as US exists, we dont have to worry about containing china.

Regd threat to our oil tankers, nobody can do anything during peace time. During war, if they interfere with our oil tankers, we have the free hand to take stern action against any country's navy that is operating from pakistani port.

 

[gpit]

The relationship between China and Pakistan is that of a benefactor and a client state, and hence by default not "balanced". India and China are militarily adversarial with Pakistan serving as a remote staging base for the latter to potentially accost the former.

…

The best euphemism can be sought to depict this statement is pathetic, if not ignorant.

As facts stand in history, when Pakistan was in need, Westerns did not wait a second to utilize the chance to either stand “neutral” or impose sanctions. It is China who provided the kinds of equipment to secure Pakistani national interest. When China was surrounded by hostile forces (late 80s for instance), it is Pakistan that provided China precious supports and a channel to the outside.

They are both beneficiaries of the relation. Probably you don’t know that in a recent web survey (non-governmental) of “Which country do you think is the friendliest to China”, Pakistan gets the #1 spot.

If there is any imbalance, that is the trade. I’d like to believe that once the Gwarda port and gas/oil pipes are in use, the goods and services provided to China will offset those into Pakistan substantially. Hopefully, a good profit sharing plan among Baluchistan people and among Pakistani in general will make the projects move forward smoothly.

 

[Cheetah786]

Regd China, as long as US exists, we dont have to worry about containing china.

Regd threat to our oil tankers, nobody can do anything during peace time. During war, if they interfere with our oil tankers, we have the free hand to take stern action against any country's navy that is operating from pakistani port.

I guess some one is been watching to many movies.