Dr Lutfur Rehman
COMMERCIAL activities at Gwadar Deep-Sea Port have gained momentum due to closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
It has enhanced regional connectivity and maritime trade among different regions of the globe. The port developed with the Chinese help, is playing a leading role in trade and business activities. The port handled four transshipment vessels besides processing about 11,000 shipping containers last month. An international cargo vessel, MV YUAN HANG WEI YE anchored at Gwadar Port in the second week of this month. It was carrying transshipment cargo disdained for the United Arab Emirates (UAE)and Kuwait. This indicates that the port is emerging as a significant hub for regional trade.
Gwadar Port is providing a secure and alternative trade route in the wake of growing uncertainty the Persian Gulf region. Despite hostile activities and propaganda by external forces, the port is smoothly handing cargo operations. Necessary facilities have been arranged for quick loading, unloading and storage. Gwadar has immense value from strategic and commercial point of view. It is the most important port after Karachiand Qasim. Gwadar Deep Sea Port is located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It is touching the vital shipping routes in and out of the Persian Gulf. The port has connected three crucial regions, South Asia, West Asia and Central Asia.
Gwadar is a Balochi word which means gateway of winds. The area was an integral part of Kalat state and the Khan of Kalat was running administration of the area through an officer known as Nazim. Gwadar also remained in possession of Oman for 174 years; 1784-1958. The then Khan of Kalat, Nasir Khan gave Gwadar to Sultan bin Aḥmad, Omani prince who took refugee in the area due to family feud. Sultan bin Aḥmad used Gwadar as springboard for his armed struggle to gain power in Oman. He succeeded in his efforts and gained power in 1792. He then annexed Gwadar.
In 1863, the Khan of Kalat made hectic efforts to reclaim Gwadar. Kalat even suggested purchasing the area in 1895 and 1904, but this did not happen. The then Sultan of Oman, Said bin Taymur suggested in 1939 to cede Gwadar to the British in return for financial help. But in the wake of the Second World War, the proposal did not receive a positive response. When Pakistan came into being in 1947, it took bold steps to gain control over Gwadar. Prime Minister Feroze Khan negotiated the purchase of Gwadar. Finally,Pakistan bought it from Saīd bin Taymūr for 42 million rupees. The purchase of Gwadar was a visionary decision of the then government of Pakistan and it was as important as the purchase of Alaska by the US from Russia.
However, the area could not be developed a major port due to one reason or the other. After the lapse of decades, China agreed to develop Gwadar Port and work on the project was started in March 2002. Under the first phase, construction of three multi-purpose ship berths was completed at a cost of $ 248 million. Wok on the second phase of the project is going on smoothly. Gwadar has been connected with the rest of the country through Makran Coastal Highway.
The government has announced incentives to attract maxim investment. Gwadar Port tariffs have reduced. According to Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, the berthing fees for container vessels and ships carrying transit or transhipment cargo have been reduced by 25 percent. Similarly, charges on international transhipment container cargo have been curtailed by 40 percent, while transit container cargo charges have been slashed by 31 percent. The port is providing one-month free storage for general cargo. A ferry service is operating between Gwadar and member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. This has reduced transporting costs and transit time for import/exporters and passengers alike. Investors have started taking interest in Gwadar Port and more than 20 companies have been registered in Gwadar Port Free Zone. The New Gwadar International Airport has completed. Regular flights are being operated from and to Gwadar.
China has set up a technical institute, Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute in Gwadar to provide technical manpower to the port. The institute is offering modern education and technical skills including Mechatronics, Construction Engineering, Software Technology, Artificial Intelligence, E-Commerce, Chinese and English languages, Hospitality and Tourism, E-Commerce, Logistics and Supply Chain Management in the. Free transport has been arranged for students. A fully furnished hostel has also been constructed for students of far-flung areas of Balochistan. The idea of developing Gwadar Deep Sea became possible with the financial and technical support of the brotherly country, China. Despite terrorist attacks, Chinese engineers and technicians worked day and night to accomplish the task successfully. Their sacrifices will long be remembered.
—The writer is former Controller News, Radio Pakistan and author of two books on “Pakistan-Afghanistan Border.”
