GWADAR, a small fishermen’s town of 130,000, has become an iconic name ever since CPEC was launched as a flagship project of China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. The Creator has bestowed amazing natural beauty on the Gwadar port, with the land jutting out into the Arabian Sea in the form of a ‘hammer head’ and forming two protected bays. The pristine water has an abundance of fish. Given its beautiful beaches, Gwadar could be a tourist’s heaven.

The Chinese have constructed a modern business centre. There are several essential projects, including the nascent Gwadar Free Zone. An elaborate master plan has been prepared, taking its inspiration from the Chinese port city of Shenzhen. A modern international airport is nearing completion, with test flights in March next year and regular flights a few months later. The port infrastructure is ready to handle far more traffic than the approximately four ships that dock every month these days. An East Bay Expressway has been built to connect the Gwadar Free Zone to the coastal highway.

The Chinese have also established an R&D project on plants and flowers that could grow well in Gwadar. A vocational training centre is operational now. A large hospital has been constructed and is being expanded. The members of a composite delegation from the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) that visited Gwadar this month were encouraged to see these positive developments.

So far, so good.

Then there is the downside. The people of Gwadar complain bitterly that they have not yet seen the promise of CPEC unfold for them, not even where the basic utilities of life are concerned. Freshwater is a major issue. There are two dams nearby where rainwater is stored, but lack of coordination amongst the concerned departments has stalled the supply of water to residents. The China Overseas Port Handling Company is now building a mega reverse osmosis (desalination) project to supply 800,000 tons of water per day.

Gwadar must have an effective government at the local level.

There is also the issue of electricity. The town is not connected to the national grid, and relies on electricity imported from Iran, which covers segments of Balochistan, including Gwadar, but is not always a reliable source. If direct transmission lines of nearly 27 kilometres are laid down to connect Gwadar directly to the Iranian electricity grid, the problem could temporarily be solved. The long-term solution is to connect Gwadar port to the national grid. Fishing is the livelihood for the majority of Gwadar residents. With the development of port-related infrastructure, traditional fishing areas and methods have come under strain, causing unrest amongst the locals.

The frustration of Gwadar residents, especially the youth, is mounting, and the Balochistan Liberation Army seems to be capitalising on that rebellious sentiment. A group discussion of the ISSI delegation with students of the Gwadar University revealed the deep sense of deprivation that the local population was nurturing. Consequently, serious security issues have cropped up, with militants earlier carrying out a terrorist attack on the Pearl Continental hotel in Gwadar. The Chinese workers rarely visit Gwadar city due to security concerns. The army’s Special Security Division and the navy’s COMWEST have certainly enhanced security, but the more durable solution lies in co-opting the local population in the development of their city and building their stakes in the ongoing development projects.

All these issues pale into insignificance when one looks at the absence of local government or any one central authority, such as a mayor, that could coordinate the efforts of various departments to ensure the delivery of basic services to the people of Gwadar. This links up with the larger issue our country is facing. Under the 18th Amendment, considerable resources have devolved from the centre to the provinces. However, the resources have not devolved to district and tehsil levels. Consequently, local populations of small and medium-sized cities in Pakistan are frustrated due to lack of attention and resources.

In any democratic society, the bulk of taxes raised at the local level are spent on local needs. The MNAs and MPAs have a large area to cover with the development funds allocated to them, but since they have no executive powers, it is difficult to put the money where the mouth is. Gwadar is no exception to this predicament. Pakistan must organise effective governments at the local level, including in Gwadar.

If Gwadar can be developed for the local people as a model city with reasonable amenities of life available to the people of the area, this could serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all cities hosting CPEC projects. Let the residents of Gwadar be the lead beneficiaries of CPEC.

The writer, a former foreign secretary, is director general of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, and author of Diplomatic Footprints.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2022