Adux
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Indian plan to derail Gwadar Seaport
Khalid Khokhar
A time-bomb blast in Hub town of Balochistan on July 19, 2007 targeting Chinese engineers was initially perceived to be the backlash of the friends of the Lal Masjid clerics, but later some reliable reports focused on the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as the overt perpetrator in connivance with Indias secret service RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) as a covert operator. There are 3,500 Chinese engineers and technicians working in various state-run projects across Pakistan. Ever since the Chinese engineers have undertaken the construction of Gwadar deep seaport, a series of attacks targeting Chinese have become a regular feature. In May 2003, four Chinese engineers were killed in Gwadar area. Two incidents occurred in 2004; - a car bomb killed three Chinese engineers at the Gwadar seaport, and two Chinese engineers were kidnapped at the Gomal Zam Dam in South Waziristan.
Then, in 2006, at Hub, three Chinese engineers working at the Gwadar seaport were gunned down by unknown attackers. On July 8, 2007, three Chinese mechanics were killed in an attack in Peshawar, and now at Hub again, Chinese came under attack in which 24 security personnel were killed. Who target Chinese engineers in Pakistan and what objective they want to achieve? The answer lies in the fast track development of Balochistan. The present Government is determined to bring the area into socio-economic mainstream so that fruits of progress trickle down to the common man. This uplift of the area does not suit few Sardars who want to establish their authority with the help of vested interests; therefore, they pose stiff opposition to the mega development projects. The sub-national forces along with some dissenting voices have also sided with these Sardars and are targeting national installations. According to them, Gwadar deep seaport projects would ultimately benefit people from the rest of Pakistan rather than from Balochistan. Since the Chinese are considered as a part of developmental process in Balochistan, therefore, the Baloch are equally targeting the Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.
Gwadar, is a seaport covering an area of about 307 square miles with 600 kilometers long coast. The geographic location - in proximity to the crucial trade from the Persian Gulf and the largely untapped resources of Central Asia - has opened upon Pakistan one of the vital export corridors in the region. With a population of 125,000, the Gwadar town on Makran Coast is now set on its way to become a hub of shipping, commercial and industrial activities. The construction work at the port started on March 22, 2002. The work on the first phase of this mega project, constructed by Chinese Harbor Engineering Company, is already complete. The development of Gwadar Port is being undertaken in two phases. Phase-I includes construction of three berths, with a depth of 12.5 meters, and approach channels. PhaseII will be developed through the private sector on a Built Operate Transfer (BOT) and Built Operate Own (BOO) basis. Its extension work includes nine berths, including two container terminals, two dry bulk terminals, two oil terminals, one Roll On-Roll Off terminal, one bulk cargo terminal, one general cargo terminal and channel dredging 20.0 m depth with allied port facilities. Islamabad is contemplating this port to become a regional hub, which would not only meet growing domestic requirements but also handle cargo for the entire region. The Gwadar Development Authority operates closely with the Gwadar Port Authority and other government agencies to synergize the completion of this mega project. The Mekran Coastal Highway linking Gwadar with Karachi on a 675-mile stretch is going to be lifeline of the Gwadar project. Completion of this highway will open up the area for business opportunities to domestic as well as international investors.
Indias objectives are to obstruct developmental growth in Balochistan, and to impede China from projecting its power in the Arabian Sea, which India wants to have as its exclusive domain, and also at the same time, to prevent Pakistan from offering safe transit routes to the Central Asian Republics, so that they opt for the alternative AfghanistanIran route in which India is a major investor. Pakistan sees the hand of India in instigating local insurgency through Afghanistan. In this context, the Indians have cultivated in the minds of the Baloch nationalists that China is depriving the Baloch by globalising their natural resources. The Chinese are being projected as imperialist in the so-called war that the Baloch are waging against the state of Pakistan. Consequently, Chinese have been subjected to attacks by the Indian RAW agents (prowling the area) who see their interest in the port as a threat to their supremacy in the region. The Baloch have been made to believe that China wants to accrue economic benefits from Balochs natural resources and is establishing its first warm-water foothold in the Indian Ocean.
It is interesting to note a tit for tat response by Indians on the issue of the establishment of Port. When the Chinese began the Gwadar port, the Indians began to help Iranians construct the Chabahar port next door. The Chabahar port ironically also located in the Baloch part of Iran, will be accessible for Indian imports and exports, with road links to Afghanistan and Central Asia. India is helping build a 200-kilometre road that will connect Chabahar with Afghanistan. The Indians are now trying to accomplish an air base in Tajikistan so as to contain Chinese market in CARs. Moreover, the Indians have secured diplomatic missions in the South of Afghanistan in Kandahar, which is dangerously close to the Baloch border. The development of an Iranian port in Chabahar would affect the Gwadar Ports role as the main sea route from the Central Asian Republics (CARs). The Chabahar port has two main jetties, which can host only five vessels of up to 25,000 gross tonnages and draft of 11 meters. However, Gwadar has an edge over Chabahar, which is a seasonal port and cannot work in the monsoon season while Gwadar can be used in all seasons. India is encircling Pakistan, China is exploiting the Central Asian resources, while the Indians are encircling China. The tug of war to reach the natural resources of CARs is generally called as new great game with Iran, USA and Russia as old players in the game. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that India would attempt to create hurdles and would ensure that the port does not become hub port. Indians are using the nationalists groups in Balochistan for their ulterior motives. The attacks on Chinese workers in Gwadar and Hub are a case in point.
Indian designs to derail development activities in Balochistan need to be countered effectively. Mega projects in Balochistan are to improve the quality of life of the people of Balochistan. The development and incentive package for Gwadar is a step in the right direction. This includes: fishermen disturbed because of the construction of the Gwadar port would be relocated and given compensation; 5.4 per cent of Balochistans quota in the federal Government jobs would be implemented. In the job quota, people of Gwadar would be at the top of priority followed by Mekran and then the rest of Balochistan; to investigate the alleged irregularities in the sale of land in Gwadar; only Baloch citizens would be appointed heads of the Gwadar Port Authority and the Gwadar Development Authority; sixty per cent of the members of the Board of Governors of the Gwadar Authority would be residents of Balochistan. These measures will go a long way to bring the neglected area at par with the developed areas of the country. A real opportunity exists for Pakistan to integrate its economy with the world markets through Gwadar port. In this regard, the priority given by Pakistan to develop the Gwadar port is very appropriate.
http://pakobserver.net/Articles04.asp
