Gwadar Port: redeeming a pledge of socio-economic uplift

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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History in the making. :k:

Gwadar Port: redeeming a pledge of socio-economic uplift

This is yet an other step towards progress and prosperity of the country and redeeming the pledge to materialize the dream of socio-economic uplift of the Balochistan people - the Gwadar Deep Sea Port project. Aimed at boosting economic activities, Gwadar Port would usher in a new era of efficient communication network in the province and bring pleasant changes to the lives of Balochistan people. Located outside the Straight of Hormuz, the Port will have an easy direct road access to India, China, Afghanistan and a secondary road access to all Central Asian States. Having naturally sheltered port conditions on two sides, Gwadar Port is the most viable for trade and commerce. Construction of the coastal highway has been completed that connects Gwadar with Karachi and would lessen the travelling time by 40 hours. Gwadar - Dero Motorway connecting Gwadar with KCD Highway at Khuzdar to Chaman and Kandhar and with Indus Highway at Rato Dero to North of Pakistan is another vital link and a step forward to bringing in socio-economic changes to the lives of people. Improvement of Hoshab, Panjgur, Surab, Quetta roads is equally important and will be an effective internal access facility. Completion of Gwadar Port will facilitate residential, commercial, recreational, industrial and institutional activities besides providing ample space for warehousing. Sites have been reserved for facilitating export of livestock while the Master Plan has carefully been drafted to keep environment protected.

An advisory and Human Resources Development programme is being undertaken to ensure due participation of locals of Gwadar and Makran in economic activities generated as a result of the construction of Gwadar port. Gwadar is the latest project of modern times and will help quicken the pace of economic development and lower the graph of unemployment in Balochistan and the province will witness progress and prosperity. Construction of four major roads like Jinnah Avenue, Balochistan Broadway and Padizer Express, each having 8 regular lanes, 6-lane Marine Drive running parallel to the west coast, construction of a 350-bed hospital, two mini Fish harbour at Pishkan and Surbandar will ensure brisk communication, better health and fishing facilities to the people. Youth are being trained in different technical traits to induct on jobs on Gwadar port.

Construction of new international airport, establishing 961 kilometer railway track with an estimated cost of Rs. 70 billion would also bring revolutionary changes and go a long way for socio-economic uplift of the Province. Starting from the Mastung railway station, this link will run through Kalat, Surab, Besima, Panjgur, Hashab, Turbat and onwards to Gwadar port. Thus every station, every stopover on this railways track from Mastung on way to Gwadar would help generate the local people sufficient income for their well being.

Mega projects including the Gwadar Port is going to generate an estimated US$ 60 billion every year over the span of time and provide firm basis for socio-economic uplift of the province. This is a worldover known fact that residents of the port cities and vast adjacent areas enjoy vast opportunities of employment and business. Taking the example of Karachi, Mumbai, Dubai, Shanghai, Sydney and New York and beyond. No doubt every city is a hub of economic activities, generate revenue in billions, provide ample employment opportunities and has multiple positive socio-economic impacts on lives of their people. Same is going to happen in Gwadar where major chunk of the Balochistan population is going to reap benefits from construction work, loading and offloading goods, fishing, revenue generation, communication networks and hotel business etc. With the trade corridors being set up to establish linkages to Central Asian States, roads and railways links within the province and beyond will open new vistas of development across the province. Emergence of a sizable new and modern city is on way with Gwadar ultimately becoming a bustling economic centre, providing the first urban centre for Balochistan and a gorgeous tourist attraction for the Country and the region. Additional dredging of channels to 14.5 meter will help anchoring of big ships. A stream of ships and tankers berthing at Gwadar, unloading their bulk cargo through these giant cranes from where it will be trucked to distant lands. With the completion of the second phase, the Port would be able to accommodate 50,000 DWT container ships, 100,000 DWT dry bulk carriers and up to 200,000 DWT oil tankers. **Thousands of people disembarking from these ships and spending days and weeks in this town, spending money, shopping, hotelling and transforming this town into a truly international city will also make the local people to earn a lot to improve their living standard. **

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\03\26\story_26-3-2006_pg5_14

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Re: Gwadar Port: redeeming a pledge of socio-economic uplift

:k: Best things that ever to happened to Pakistan. Thanks for the news Silly Billy.

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Re: Gwadar Port: redeeming a pledge of socio-economic uplift

I highly suggest you actually go to Balochistan or at least talk to Balochi’s instead of mindlessly believing every govt press release.

I highly doubt you will do either, but perhaps you can be slightly enlightened-

http://dawn.com/herald/sep04.htm

Full article available at :
http://www.balochvoice.com/Articles_Editorials_local_papers/Colinisation_of_Gwadar.html

Colinisation of Gwadar

*By M. Ilyas Khan *

*What are the Gwadaris getting out of the multibillion-dollar seaport planned around their ancient village? *

In 1992, when former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced the construction of a deep seaport at Gwadar, the coastal population of Mekran was ecstatic. Some 12 years later, as the dream is about to come true, they seem less happy. **The period has seen a land-grabbing stampede by strangers from Sindh and the Punjab, with jobs being doled out from offices in Karachi and the Gwadaris being left with nothing but the looming prospect of mass dislocation. **

Much of the problem stems from the failure of the government to involve Gwadar’s people in drawing up the city’s master plan and preparing them for vocations suited to a metropolitan seaport likely to create 2.5 million jobs. On the contrary, every development has come on the spur of the moment, from the top-secret drawers of state institutions such as the communications ministry, the national highway authority, the Pakistan Navy and the National Engineering Service of Pakistan. Even the Gwadar district government or the government in Quetta have had no clue.

The fishing village of Gwadar consists of a “hammerhead” - a piece of mountain about 10 kilometres long, two kilometres wide and 200 meters high - connected to the mainland by a narrow 6-kilometre sandbank formed due to the action of swells and currents. The latest master plan incorporates the hammerhead and the isthmus into port-related establishments, and locals fear the entire village will be relocated in light of a government announcement declaring Gwadar a sensitive defence zone.

But there is no resettlement plan in the works, and no land available for the purpose. Inland from Gwadar village and for hundreds of kilometres on either side of the coastal highway, land has been acquired by developers and builders for private housing schemes. Where the isthmus converges with the mainland, a large chunk of land has been appropriated by the Pakistan Navy. Gwadar’s only boys’ college near tills location is not shown in the master plan.

The Pakistan Navy has also occupied the eastern portion of the hammerhead. The land lies adjacent to the famous Sangar residential scheme launched by the government in the 1990s. This scheme was recently cancelled by the provincial government which argued that its approach route passed through the port area. Subsequently, there have been indications that some elements that supported federal education minister Zubaida Jalal in the elections have been seeking to acquire about 1700 acres of land west of Sangar on the hammerhead. The court has since reinstated the scheme.

Acquisition of land outside the port area, which is owned either by the fishermen or inland farmers, poses a serious threat to the Gwadar master plan. Settlement officials in Gwadar, in connivance with influential elements in Quetta and Islamabad, have been recording false transfer deeds in the name of fake owners who in turn have sold thousands of acres of land to developers and other interested individuals. There is widespread unrest among the real-estate owners and endless disputes are expected when the actual acquisition begins.

Another problem is jobs. The only local manpower employed en bloc by the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) so far is the 54 workers of the fish harbour who, despite being promised regularisation by President Pervez Musharraf in person, had to resort to a year-long agitation to force its fulfilment. Only about a dozen locals have received a share in the hundreds of low-grade jobs offered by the GPA since then, mostly due to sustained community pressure that all jobs of grade 10 and below should go to locals.

A multi-storey GPA office building was inaugurated in Gwadar last June but the only person who sits there is the estate office. The rest of the establishment is located in Karachi even though the first phase of the seaport is nearly complete. The chairman, a retired vice admiral of the Pakistan Navy, Sarfaraz Khan, is extremely unpopular among the people of Gwadar. To appease them, former Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali is believed to have moved relevant quarters to replace him with Akbar Pasnani, a native Gwadari and a senior Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) official. However, while Sarfaraz is still the chairman, Pasnani has been appointed as chairman implementation, a bizarre designation.

Jobs in the GPA as well as for the coastal highway projects are usually advertised in only the Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad newspapers. Interviews for jobs in the G.PA are held in Karachi while those for the coastal highway in Islamabad. Given the poverty and scanty means of transportation in Mekran, both places are inaccessible to the local population.

This situation is creating suspicions regarding the government’s intentions. After 55 years of neglect, Gwadar is suddenly home to three major projects: the seaport, the coastal highway and Mirani Dam. The government treats all projects as separate development schemes designed to improve the quality of life in Gwadar, but Gwadaris see them as complementary projects for a port city that is not going to be shaped and run by the Gwadaris. With a naval base at Ormara, inaugurated in 2000, and the planned augmentation of an airbase at Pasni, leaders such as Nawab Akbar Bugti are alleging a conspiracy by Islamabad to separate Gwadar from Balochistan and hand it over to the Americans.

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FIRST of all, this article is outdated by almost two years.

SECOND, Gwadar project itself is not expected to higher a very high percentage of Gwadaris! It's what the Gwadaris will reap after their hometown becomes an International Hub for trade and commerce through the South Asian area. It'll be a gold mine then it might even come to the standard where other big cities in Pakistan are today.

THIRD, I've come to realize now why the Gwadar project isnt liked by balochi. It has very little to do with economics, since economically, gwadar project is balochi wet-dream-come-true since its a government paid expansion and invetment in their business-dead reigion. The reason why baloch dont want the Gwadar project is because of their unreasonable dislike of Punjabis. Thats pretty damn awful for me to hear, because as a Punjabi, I've never thought badly of balochis because they are also Pakistanis. I dont know maybe the Punjabis of 70s deserved this hate or maybe some sardar had a bad time with a Punjabi so freaking what!? I think Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is sincerely doing his best to improve condition in balochistan and that more than enough justifies Punjabs consideration and concern for balochi. Pres. Mush. just sent back home 200 + balochi who had been exiled by their very own beloved armed rebels the bugti. I dont know why you guys are so hateful/ maybe its jahalat or sardar influence.

Anyway, Id love to see a more prosperous, educated and reasonable Baloch as an integral part of Pakistan. I can only wish for balochis to share my sentiments.

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Excellent points. :k:

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"With a naval base at Ormara, inaugurated in 2000, and the planned augmentation of an airbase at Pasni, leaders such as Nawab Akbar Bugti are alleging a conspiracy by Islamabad to separate Gwadar from Balochistan and hand it over to the AMERICANS. Herald September 2004"
Doesnt this just say it all!

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:rotfl:

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Hahahahahah…:mad: Hate this illetrate moron.

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Top post bro, i can understand if balochi people can feel they have been treated badly but their hatered for Punjabis is pure brainwashing by traitors like Bugti. Pathans and Bhuttos also ruled Pakistan for quite long and i don't think they did any better for balochis than Punjabi politicians or generals ( Shame on everyone who deprived them of their rights).

They also have to blame themselves for blindly supporting JAAHIL SARDARS who just sat on their a$$es doing nothing for their people, how much did they concentrate on education or development?????

How many clocks you had to set back ?
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^ Thats the whole point. :k: Thanks for backing up my points :k:

Base line is;

Bugti wants youths to leave school for an “armed uprising” against governments who are paying billions of dollars for development in the reigon. Sardars using arguements of “minority” and what not is baseless. You all would agree its much better being a wealthy minority as compared to a poverty-ridden majority. And for gods sake dont argue that we punjabi will leave our economically better homeland of punjab, leave our families and friends and lands and culture to take up your jobs in you’re punjabi-hating land just so we can see you starve. We aren’t that deprived.

I really dont want to “fight” on this issue. All of us know what the government is doing for Balochistan will benefit the balochi. The difference is we dont have Punjabophobia.

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Yeah, it makes me sick when people say that they don’t like Gwadar project because it’s not gonna be beneficial for them. I was just reading this news in dawn:

**Mangla View Resort to provide 25,000 jobs to locals: Tourism minister **
(Updated at 1945 PST)
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Tourism, G.G. Jamal said Monday that Mangla View Resort is a landmark project in private sector which would bring revolutionary change in the lifestyle of local population.

Speaking in a TV programme of the state-own television channel he said, the project would offer 25,000 employment opportunities to the locals besides other benefits.

**With an international standard Golf Course and multiple water sports facilities the resort would boost supports activities in the area. **

With beautiful natural scenes and appropriate boarding facilities the resort will attract a large number of local and foreign tourists, he said.

He said the government was facilitating the private sector both from home and abroad to invest in all the potential areas including tourism industry of the country.

**The Mangal View Resort would be the first mega project in the area of tourism, he added. **

To a question he said the private sector investors are seeing the success of this project would of course try to expand their business and such a resort can also be set up in Terbella, the minister said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now i know this particular project is not in Balochistan but the reason why i posted this is because it highlights a very important fact that 25000 jobs will be created for the locals and we are talking about ONE project here which is huge but Gwadar project is probably 50 (if not 100 or 200) times bigger than this, just imagine how many jobs that will create???

How on earth can they claim that thousands and thousands of these jobs will be given to Punjabis (or Sindhis) who will leave their lands , risk their lives and capture Balochi land and properties???:confused: :confused: :confused:
I can accept that some top level jobs may go to some people due to favouratism (is it even surprising in our country???) but there will still be thousands of jobs for local Balochs.
Forget the jobs, investment alone will increase economic activity in the region and money will be pouring into Balochistan through many different ways.

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MG- Simply because as previous promises to give locals jobs, it is a lie.

I have posted a example previously of how many jobs in Gwader are advertised in Karachi and Punjab newspapers, and interviews are held there, making it almost impossible for Balochis.

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In regards to your first point, I can only say are you being serious?!
The situation has hardly improved in the last two years, and in case you haven’t noticed, has actually got a lot worse!

In regards to why Balochi’s are bitter about Punjabi hegemonistic designs, perhaps the following article will provide you with a clue, as you plainly don’t know much about Balochistan, and I don’t mean that in an insulting way, just a pretty obvious fact.

I can only say that at least you seem to wish the Balochi’s well, even if you don’t know the full truth. You are probably quite young, and have never spent any time in Balochistan, and probably don’t even know any Balochis, so it is not surprising.

http://dawn.com/herald/sep04.htm

http://www.balochvoice.com/Articles_Editorials_local_papers/Money_Money_Money.html

One reason why the Marris of Kohlu have been resisting oil and gas exploration in their area is the manner in which Sui’s gas reserves were appropriated by Islamabad. Discovered in 1952, five gas wells at Sui presently supply 38 percent of Pakistan’s domestic and commercial energy needs but** only 6 percent of Balochistan’s population has a gas connection. Ironically, these connections came a decade after gas had been supplied all over Pakistan**. **In fact, had the Zia regime not decided to set up an army corps headquarters in Quetta, there would still be no gas there. The moral of the story? The project to exploit and distribute gas was dominated by Islamabad, which is in turn dominated by the Punjab, and so the gas went where the Punjab wanted it to go. At least this is what the Baloch argue. And there are few convincing counterpoints to their argument. **

According to information provided by Kachkol Ali, leader of the opposition in the Balochistan Assembly, state sector gas transmission companies are making annual profits to the tune of 84 billion rupees. Until 1991, when the fist National Finance Commission (NFC) was constituted to divide resources among the provinces, these profits were being devoured by the center. Since then, Balochistan has been the recipient of a meager 5 percent of these profits. During the current fiscal year, the provinces expects to receive a total of 5.96 billion rupees 3.59 billion as its share in the gas development surcharge and 2.37 billion in royalties. In comparison, Sindh, which produces approximately 700 million cubic feet (mcf) of gas as against Balochistan’s 950 mcf, received almost 19 billion rupees. The Punjab, which only produces 250 mcf gas also received nearly two billion in royalties and gas surcharge.
These figures make little sense because the provinces are not paid gas profits at a uniform rate. In terms of gas royalties, the rates allowed to the Punjab vary from 80 to 190 rupees per million British thermal units (BTU), Sindh receive 140 rupees per million (BTU) while Balochistan is paid only 36.65 rupees per million BTU. The share of the province in the income from gas development surcharge also falls low because the surcharge forms part of the federal divisible pool which uses population as the basis for resource distribution among the center (67 percent) and the province (33 percent). Balochistan has a population of only 6.5 million, or 4.5 percent of the national total. Central excise duty on consumer bills also forms part of the divisible pool and Balochistan ends up with a very small share of it.

Among other things, the Baloch leadership has been demanding the distribution of federal resources on the basis of a formula that would account for population as well as the level of development of different provinces in terms of road networks, communication infrastructure, health and education coverage and per capita income levels.

Islamabad has never considered this proposal. There are also no sign of instituting the Senate’s control over the federation’s money matters, another long standing demand of the nationalists.

On the contrary, Islamabad has been resolutely expanding its functions to include even those areas that fall under provincial jurisdiction. Kachkol ali has worked out a list of 270 ministries, division and attached departments having a combined salary bill of six billion rupees per month that fall either in the provincial or concurrent list of powers but have been taken over by Islamabad by suitably tailoring the rules of business for these entities.

The introduction of district Governments has further boosted Islamabad’s leverage over the provincial governments. But while the process of centralization continues unhindered, matters concerning provincial rights seem to have been put off indefinitely. The absence of the new NFC award is forcing smaller provinces to run large budgetary deficits. Balochistan’s case is a particularly difficult one. It will only get 17.5 billion rupees from the federal divisible pool during the current year as compared to 115.22 billion for the Punjab, 47.52 billion for Sindh and 27.76 billion for the Frontier. The provinces are already burdened with federal loans amounting to a whopping 43 billion rupees. In addition, it is running a seven-billion-rupee overdraft with the State Bank.

Given such financial constraints, it is no wonder that successive government in Quetta have failed to develop a province that has a small population but is spread over a huge 211,000 square kilometer area. The irony is that there is considerable wealth buried underneath it. Apart from oil and gas, there is gypsum, chromite, marble, uranium and even gold, silver and copper. Besides, it has some of the richest fishing fields in the Arabian Sea along its 700-kilometer coastline. But there is no water, no agriculture, no industry, no roads, few schools, fewer hospitals, and hardly any remunerative jobs. The choice for nationalists is obvious sit on their riches and act like a dog in the manger until an atmosphere of equity and justice descends from Islamabad.

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  1. "Successive government in Quetta" got funds neverthless. What do they have to show for the money they did receive?

  2. Besides NG, none of the other minerals produce considerable wealth.

  3. Fishing fields are there, but it is hardly the domain of "Balochis" exploding mines in Kohlu. Mikranis have been fishing for centuries with low-tech stuff, and they will continue doing so.

  4. Nationalists will be treated as dogs if they behave as dogs. OTOH they will be treated as humans if they behave like one.

Bottom line is, that Kabuli Kommies would love to make Quetta as "model city" just like what they have done to Kandhar and Kabul.

Do guys cry?
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Re: Gwadar Port: redeeming a pledge of socio-economic uplift

Of course Balochi feudals are partly to blame, but do you really think feudals in the rest of Pakistan are any different? You would be mistaken if you do.

Yet other parts of Pak, esp Punjab are much better developed than Balochistan. The Balochis, from the lone villager to the middle class student see their nation's resources taken for other's and that's what understandably makes them mad.

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[quote]

Bottom line is, that Kabuli Kommies would love to make Quetta as "model city" just like what they have done to Kandhar and Kabul.
[/quote]

Actually it is the jihadists and alqaedis who made these cities what they are today not the kabul bull bullies.

You need to get your facts straight Ms. OBL! :D

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Re: Gwadar Port: redeeming a pledge of socio-economic uplift

Ok to a certain extent it is agreeable that balochis were mistreated…so isnt gwadar project an improvement? And what of the huge sums of money the government is alloting to baloch development? How about that? :hmmm:

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There may be feudals in parts of Pakistan. However I don't see them attacking motorway construction employees, or destroying local airports.

In a typical construction project, I see hardworking Pustoons doing all sorts labor jobs next to their colleagues from other parts of the country. No feudal can stop the construction projects in the Frontier, to Punjab, or in Sindh. There are huge chemical factories and power stations built in Sindh. Even when Sindh happens to have many big name land lords.

Had Punjabis attacked motorway construction crews, the region would never have developed any more than Balochistan.

quote=TheRealDeal]......... The Balochis, from the lone villager to the middle class student see their nation's resources taken for other's and that's what understandably makes them mad.
[/quote]

Oh Baboo Khan, if you allow new airports, new shipping ports, new roads, all those resources will be spent locally.

Resources are used where they can be utilized.

How many ships would dock at Gawadar if they see big fireballs going up the sky?
How many tourists would show up in Chaman, if they know they will be kidnapped and murdered.

How many teachers would show up in Quetta if they know they won't be safe in the hands of Balochis.

How many factories will be built in Kohlu, if the wild gunmen rule the area during the night and fire rockets at anything that moves.

Bottom line is that the development doesn't come by itself. You have to invite the "developers".

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Re: Gwadar Port: redeeming a pledge of socio-economic uplift

There may be feudals in parts of Pakistan. However I don't see them attacking motorway construction employees, or destroying local airports.

In a typical construction project, I see hardworking Pustoons doing all sorts labor jobs next to their colleagues from other parts of the country. No feudal can stop the construction projects in the Frontier, to Punjab, or in Sindh. There are huge chemical factories and power stations built in Sindh. Even when Sindh happens to have many big name land lords.

Had Punjabis attacked motorway construction crews, the region would never have developed any more than Balochistan.

Oh Baboo Khan, if you allow new airports, new shipping ports, new roads, all those resources will be spent locally.

Resources are used where they can be utilized.

How many ships would dock at Gawadar if they see big fireballs going up the sky?
How many tourists would show up in Chaman, if they know they will be kidnapped and murdered.

How many teachers would show up in Quetta if they know they won't be safe in the hands of Balochis.

How many factories will be built in Kohlu, if the wild gunmen rule the area during the night and fire rockets at anything that moves.

Bottom line is that the development doesn't come by itself. You have to invite the "developers".

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Re: Gwadar Port: redeeming a pledge of socio-economic uplift

And yet, despite the feudals in the other provinces, the people still have more freedom despite then these feudals…