01/02/2021
Ⓜ︎ⓊⓈⓉ ⓈⒺⒺ ⓅⒶⓀⒾⓈⓉⒶⓃ
𝔾𝕨𝕒𝕕𝕒𝕣 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟, ℙ𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟
𝗚𝘄𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿 is a port city on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea opposite Oman. Gwadar was an overseas possession of Oman from 1783 to 1958.It is about 120 km (75 mi) southwest of Turbat, while the sister port city of Chabahar in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Province is about 170 km (110 mi) to the west of Gwadar.
For most of its history, Gwadar was a small to medium-sized settlement with an economy largely based on artisanal fishing. The strategic value of its location was first recognized in 1954 when it was identified as a suitable site for a deep water port by the United States Geological Survey at the request of Pakistan while the territory was still under Omani rule.The area's potential to be a major deep water port remained untapped under successive Pakistani governments until 2001, when construction on the first phase of Gwadar Port was initiated.The first phase was inaugurated in 2007 at a total cost of $248 million.The port initially remained underutilized after construction for a variety of reasons, including lack of investment, security concerns, and the Government of Pakistan's failure to transfer land as promised to the port operator, Port of Singapore Authority.
In April 2015, Pakistan and China announced their intention to develop the $46 billion China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),which in turn forms part of China's ambitious One Belt, One Road.Gwadar features heavily in CPEC, and is also envisaged to be the link between the One Belt, One Road and Maritime Silk Road project.$1.153 billion worth of infrastructure projects will be invested into the city as part of CPEC,with the aim of linking northern Pakistan and western China to the deep water seaport.The city will also be the site of a floating liquefied natural gas facility that will be built as part of the larger $2.5 billion Gwadar-Nawabshah segment of the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline project. In addition to investments directly under the aegis of CPEC in Gwadar city, the China Overseas Port Holding Company in June 2016 began construction on the $2 billion Gwadar Special Economic Zone,[13] which is being modelled on the lines of the Special Economic Zones of China.In September 2016 the Gwadar Development Authority published a request for tenders for the preparation of expropriation and resettlement of Old Town Gwadar.
𝐻𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦:
Ancient
The inhabitation of Gwadar, like most areas of Balochistan, appears to be ancient. The area shows inhabitation as early as the Bronze Age with settlements around some of the area's oasis. It is from this settlement pattern that word Makran, the original name of Balochistan, is derived. For a period, it was a region of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. It is believed to have been conquered by the founder of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great. The capital of the satrapy of Gedrosia was Pura, which is thought to have been located near the modern Bampūr, in Iranian Balochistan. During the homeward march of Alexander the Great, his admiral, Nearchus, led a fleet along the modern-day Makran coast and recorded that the area was dry, mountainous, and inhabited by the "Ichthyophagoi" (or "fish eaters"), an ancient Greek rendering of the ancient Persian phrase "Mahi khoran," which has itself become the modern word "Makran".After the collapse of Alexander's empire the area was ruled by Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander's generals. The region then came under Mauryan rule around 303 BCE, after Seleucus made peace with Emperor Chandragupta and ceded the territory to the Mauryans.
𝐸𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑦:-
Gwadar's economy has, in the past, been dependent mostly on fishing. Its economy, however, is undergoing rapid transformation as a small fishing village is being transformed into a major port city of Pakistan with improved communication links with the rest of Pakistan. In 1993, the Government of Pakistan commenced a feasibility study for the construction of a deep-sea port at Gwadar. On 22 March 2002, the Government of Pakistan began construction of Gwadar Port, a modern deep-sea port, the first phase of which was completed in December 2005 and the second in March 2007. Gwadar Port became fully operational in December 2009. The 1400 km Trans-Afghan Gas Pipeline (TAP) from Turkmenistan to Gwadar (Pakistan), a long-dormant project that would pump Turkmen natural gas to markets in South Asia, may finally be poised to begin at a cost of $3 billion.[citation needed]
𝗚𝘄𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲:
The construction on a $20 billion 100-square kilometre tax exempt industrial zone began on 20 June 2016.[37] The zone includes a 300MW plant exclusive for the industrial zone.[38]
𝗚𝘄𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁:
Main article: Gwadar Port
See also: China–Pakistan Economic Corridor
China has a great strategic interest in Gwadar. In 2013, the state-owned China Overseas Port Holdings Limited acquired Gwadar Port.The port is strategically important for China as sixty percent of China's oil comes from the Persian Gulf by ships traveling over 16,000 km (9,900 mi) in two to three months, confronting pirates, bad weather, political rivals, and other risks up to its only commercial port, Shanghai. Gwadar will reduce the distance to a mere 5,000 km (3,100 mi) and also serve round the year.
China has been instrumental in the design of the project. China is providing approximately 80% of the cost of the port in the shape of grants and soft loans. Over 500 Chinese workers have worked on the project on a 24-hour basis to complete the port setup. There are still a large number of Chinese workers and engineers working on the project. China is setting up a dry port at the Pakistan–China border to take advantage of a shorter route to sea through Gwadar. China paid US$360 million to Pakistan for expansion and an upgrade for all weather trafficability of Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan with China. The contract has been awarded to Frontier Works Organization, who has also started the project. Feasibility and engineering studies to connect China with Gwadar through a pipeline and railway track have already begun.
China is heavily dependent on Persian Gulf oil which passes through the Strait of Malacca all the way through the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Once the oil reaches China's east coast ports, it is transported thousands of kilometres inland to western China. The Gwadar port-Karakoram Highway (KKH) route is sometimes said to be safer, cheaper and shorter than transporting the oil by ocean tanker. However, research suggests that transporting oil by roadways from Gwadar to China would be very expensive, would encounter numerous logistical difficulties such as mountainous terrain, earthquakes, disputes with India, and potential terrorist attacks, and would barely make any impact on China's overall energy security, though Pakistan intends to build an oil pipeline to northern Pakistan that may allay much of these concerns.
Chinese goods flowing in the opposite direction may be able to find an easier, shorter and secure route to the Middle East. The city is also being developed as an export processing zone for foreign companies to manufacture in Gwadar before exporting to various countries in the region. The Government of Pakistan has committed to providing a base to China in Gwadar with the intention of helping secure the area.
Although some analysts claim that China intends to establish a naval presence at Gwadar, others argue that China will be cautious about such a development. A Chinese military presence in Gwadar may provoke a significant reaction from both the United States and India.
𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝘄𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁:-
Due to the Chinese interest in the Gwadar port, Pakistan believes that Gwadar will become a regional hub, Prime Minister Imran Khan has laid down the foundation stone for the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIAP) at Gwadar on 29 March 2019.[44][45] New Gwadar international airport is located in Gurandani which is around 26 km (16 mi) northeast of Gwadar city in Balochistan province. It is expected to cost $246 million with an area of 1,700 ha (4,300 acres) and it will be able to handle big aircraft such as the A380.[27] The new airport will cater to domestic and international flights and will have open skies policy.
It will be a Greenfield airport with a cargo terminal handling capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year. It will have a single runway of 3,658 m (12,001 ft) length and width of 75 m (246 ft) to accommodate wide body aircraft, however an option to build a 2nd runway in future is also feasible. CAA Pakistan has awarded the design and construction contract to the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), It is expected to be completed in 2022.
𝗚𝘄𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺:-
Cricket has been blessed with some truly beautiful venues. Be it Galle in Sri Lanka, Cape Town in South Africa, Dharamsala in India or Mount Maunganui in New Zealand, picturesque stadiums are dotted across the globe.
And we can add another name to the list. The Gwadar cricket stadium in Balochistan, Pakistan, has one of the most stunning backdrops in the world.
