On a bustling street of the Jannat Market in Gwadar, is a long line of shops selling locally made Gwadari sweets and imported food items from Iran, with women and men queuing up to buy them in bulk. The shop owner ,Ramzan Baloch, doesn’t sense anything beneficial because his life has been the same since China and Pakistan signed the CPEC project.
“Nothing is changed. I own the same old shop and ride the same old bike,” he says.” The only difference now is that you come across Chinese people—whom we had not seen in real life but in movies only."
Gwadar, commonly hailed as the ‘Crown jewel’ of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has the tendency to be the next Dubai. Having a deep-water seaport, as envisioned, this would not only create jobs for the people of Pakistan but also help China to have a stronghold over the major trade routes and waterways of the world.
CPEC’s success, however, doesn’t seem to have much for the residents of Gwadar. They continue to suffer from a lack of clean drinking water, healthcare facilities, increased number of checkpoints and curb on informal border trade with Iran.
Recently, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet approved Rs 45 billion to protect the Chinese commercial interests and manage border fencing. An additional Rs35.4 billion for the military and Rs.9.5 billions for the navy were allocated, including funds for CPEC security___ an Rs8 billion for northern areas and Rs16 billion for southern regions, such as Gwadar. China has also requested full security to the Chinese workers during the CPEC phase-II.
For Gwadar’s youth like ,Harz Muhammad Baloch, CPEC means little. Despite holding a master’s degree in political science from the University of Gwadar, he remains unemployed and assists his father at his sweet shop. He has also been active in Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) chief Maulana Hidayatur's protests and the Raji Muchi that took place quite recently in Gwadar. “ This money would have been used for the development and rehabilitation of Balochistan.” Harz Baloch says. “because healing Balochistan's deprivation and dispensing basic human rights to the citizens would solve many longstanding problems.”
The sadness in his voice is palpable. The uproar of an army of people in the protests demanding their basic rights has been turned on deaf ears since the very inception.
According to the Smart City Plan, the port city of Gwadar was believed to surpass Karachi in terms of economic output and be the third largest city of the country within a decade. The Smart City Plan was also envisioned to provide 1.2 million jobs in a city with a population of 137,695 people. “But youths are jobless here.” Harz says, “It feels like China and the federal government want Gwadar and its deep sea port, not us.”
Reports from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority also reveal that 20 officials of the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) were sent to China in the July of this year for Multi-disciplinary Training Courses. Under the training, the China Airport Construction group transferred technical knowledge to the Pakistani pilots to run the Airport independently, covering areas such as operations, security and engineering. The news that none of the officials were from Balochistan circulated on the social media, reinforcing the locals' belief that they have little to gain from CPEC.
Harz Muhammad Knows about geopolitics well. He explains that China wants to capture the major waterways of the world and use the Gwadar seaport as an alternative when the strait of Malacca has disruptions. “ Eighty per cent of China’s energy imports pass through the Strait of Malacca,” he explains, referring to the narrow waterway between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. “ This is known as the ‘Malacca dilemma.’” Citing examples from history, he adds, “In his book ‘Water: A Biography’ Giulio Boccaletti emphasizes the importance of water in the rise and fall of nations, from the Indus Valley civilization to the modern states. In the same sense, the idea of ‘He who controls waters controls the world’ envisage the importance of water as an essential role for both military and economic power.”
Another student from the University law College Quetta, Obaid Baloch also shares similar frustrations. “If the federal government and China were serious about the development of Balochistan , they would have invested in establishing automobile factories and mobile phone assembly plants in Gwadar and nearby regions.” he laments. “This would have not merely provided the youth with employment but would have inculcated greater thrust.”
Obaid draws parallels with the Sui Gas, discovered in the year 1952 in the Sui area of Dera Bugti. “It was directly pipelined to Punjab and the nearby provinces while Quetta district got its supply four years later in 1956. Out of Quetta and some parts of the Hub district, many other rural and urban areas confront severe gas shortage. The same is the case with Reko Diq and Saindak projects.“ Obaid tells. “ We provide the country with gas, gold, silver, molybdenum, fluorite, magnetite, gypsum and more but in return we are tagged with the label of being terrorists, radicals and anti-state elements. Do we deserve this?”
Obaid Baloch was forcibly disappeared and released later in 2017 in his hometown of Nighar, district Surab. “History remains a witness and reflects that insurgencies and militant uprisings can never be resolved with an iron fist but can be dealt successfully through dialogue and political will.”
He explains how military force gradually births misunderstandings between the state and the local people, citing the 50-year conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a left-wing guerrilla group.
“This conflict in Colombia was mainly driven by poverty, lack of infrastructure, absence of jobs, inequality and the exclusion of the rural communities from developmental projects. Years later, in 2016, a peace agreement was signed between the government and the FARC fighters, culminating the end of Revolutionary Armed forces of Colombia. The government realised that lasting peace not merely requires disarming the guerilla fighters but addressing the economic and social disparities.” Obaid pinpoints. “The government came up with land reforms, provided healthcare and educational facilities to the common residents who had been hit terribly by war. The FARC fighters were provided with job opportunities, financial and psychological support to transform into common civilians.”
Surely, For regions like Sui, Chaghi and Gwadar, where thousands of dollars are invested in the name of security, the real solution not lies in fences or soldiers but in ensuring the locals are provided with jobs, adequate clean drinking water, schools and healthcare facilities. Coming up with these needs will reduce the resentment of the locals and they would have a reason to support projects like CPEC, leading to lasting peace and tranquillity.
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