Gwadar augurs new history

The tears of the world are a constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh

Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot)

Exactly this is the misery of life and it is endless. Isn’t it another misery of life that at one time, one person weeps while other laughs? It goes on every part of the world. Same were the feelings watching the inauguration ceremony of the first shipment of trade goods from China to Gwadar that will further be shipped to its export destinations. Pakistani and Chinese singers were singing Urdu Chinese duet songs to mark the celebration of the long-awaited moment of history of Pakistan when the first CPEC cargo ship was launched. On the other hand, we could see the people screaming and crying over the misery inflicted upon them just a day ago at the shrine of Shah Noorani in Khuzdar district. The person who blew himself killing and injuring many did not have a heart. He crossed all the limits of humanity and risked his own life to take the lives of others.



First known as Taliban, then Daesh and now the IS — they are the different names of one mindset, one philosophy and one agenda. The attack at the shrine of Shah Noorani one day before the inauguration of CPEC first trade shipment does have some meaning that the enemies of humanity are also opponents of development of Pakistan. They did not want to see this multi-billion project in this completion mode. It was due to the tireless efforts of civil military partnership that the dream of regional development turned into reality. The whole world witnessed that nothing can bar the process of progress when government is committed to bringing the underdeveloped areas of Pakistan into mainstream of prosperity. The important thing about CPEC is that it is not the project of development and economic benefit for Pakistan and China, it will also usher an era of regional integration, cooperation and development. The regions of Asia, South East Asia, Central Asia and Africa are the primary beneficiary of this project.

The old wish of reaching to warm waters of Arabian Sea finds its way and the south East Asian and Central Asian Republics will have an easy access to warm waters through Gwadar port. Gwadar is a warm-water, deep-sea port situated on the Arabian Sea. China will earn $20 million per day and Pakistan will earn $5 billion annually through the transportation of oil. Besides generating economic activity in the whole region, the exchange of cultural ties with different countries will bring various nations of the region closer to each other.



The mega event of inauguration of trade activity in Gwadar dispels the image that CPEC is only the project of Punjab. The anti-Pakistan voices silenced when the least prosperous province of Pakistan became the focus of global media due to ongoing economic activity at Gwadar port. India, the arch rival of Pakistan, is apprehensive of this multi-billion project on account of different reasons.

First of all, the economic route of road and rail project also passes through AJK and Baltistan which India considers its own part. When AJK and Baltistan will be developed, it will raise issues for India in IOK which will remain underdeveloped. Secondly, the chances of success of Indian terrorist network will reduce to naught when the people of Baluchistan will be streamlined into main economic projects and the presence of Chinese in the region will pose a threat to India’s heinous designs. Likewise, the interest shown by Iran and Saudi Arabia in this project signifies that with the passage of time, many other countries will be attracted to this international economic hub.



Balochistan will no more be an isolated province rather it would become a point of international economic activity and the continuation of this project will lay the foundation of new Economic bloc of emerging economies of the world including the economies of Asian, South East Asian and African countries. What we need to do is to be more meticulous, consistent and committed to defeat all the forces of negativity in order to be triumphant in making Pakistan a secure and developed country.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2016.

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