* Baloch nationalists demand port project’s cancellation
* Say Balochs disown agreement signed by previous government with PSA
By Malik Siraj Akbar
QUETTA: The Baloch sense of jubilation after the inauguration of the multi-million-dollar Gwadar Port in March last year is gradually turning into disappointment as the government has been unable to make the port functional so far.
The port was inaugurated by former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf and the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) was entrusted with its operations.
While Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani has recently asked the federal government to review or completely cancel the ‘covert’ agreement with the PSA, Baloch nationalist parties have a much stronger demand.
Cancellation: "We want the government to completely abandon the Gwadar Port plan and declare it a fishing harbour, which should be brought under the control of the Balochistan Coastal Development Authority (BCDA)," said Habib Jalib, the central secretary general of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M). Jalib said the port was a 'misadventure' of the previous government and those who planned it did not envision Balochistan’s economic development.
Such ports, he added, could only survive in developed areas where there is a large infrastructure present to meet the task of running its operations.
"Firstly, the infrastructure required for a port city is not there yet. Secondly, the port has always been controversial and the root cause of political resistance in the province. A port should not be imposed on the people of Balochistan, rather, the government should wait for the people themselves to demand a port," he said.
Currently, Gwadar Port is incomplete and lacks the necessary facilities to handle cargo. Recently, the government, on the request of the Balochistan chief minister, directed the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to divert some of the import shipments to Gwadar. Musharraf had also issued such instructions and the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) had provided logistic support to Gwadar in handling the wheat cargo. Though KPT obliged the former president once, it subsequently refused to oblige the federal government in handling a ship carrying urea at the port.
Finding insufficient facilities at the port, the ship carrying 30,000 tonnes of urea back to Karachi to save time and money.
Disown: Senator Abdul Malik Baloch, central president of the National Party (NP), said the Baloch resented and disowned the agreement signed by the previous government with PSA, as the people of Balochistan were not consulted. The NP demands the government cancel all previous agreements. "We want the port to be handed over to the Balochistan government and all revenue should be directed towards the provincial government if the province’s development is the port’s actual purpose," he said.
At present, there are only four berths available at Gwadar Port and there is no apparent plan to start the second and third phase of construction. "Instead of requesting KPT and other organisations to help the Gwadar Port Authority, the government should complete the basic infrastructure of the first phase so that the four berths built by the Chinese can be operated," said Babar Baloch, a resident of Gwadar.
Independent economists suggest the port should be seen from an economic perspective and the government should redress all political reservations of nationalist parties. "If Gwadar Port is operational, it will benefit the entire region, mainly the landlocked countries of Central Asia. It will ensure sizable revenue for the state," a leading economist said. He said Iran was earning more than $10 billion a year from transit trade. “The Pakistani government has deliberately delayed building the basic infrastructure and the railroad link between Gwadar and landlocked Central Asian countries since the construction of the port started seven years ago. The challenge before the government is to foul the plans aimed at failing the port and promoting disappointment among the people of Balochistan," he added.
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