Ayaz Khan
“Thieves choose to steal water (blue gold) from home in Gwadar instead of stealing valuables” (na sona na chandi, chor ghar say pani lay kar frar), this was the headline on the front page of an Urdu local newspaper which blurred all news with its novelty of kind.
The headline might reflect a humor for many, but on a serious tone it brings much of the hidden sufferings of people living in a presupposed well-developed city of Balochistan to limelight.
Gwadar is supposed to become an economic hub in next decade. Gwadar is not only believed to be a cheap economic route for China but also a bridge to link China with its ambitious future of becoming an economic giant through sea trade.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is believed to be a game changer in this regard. Surprisingly, the much debated track of prosperity and development that is being laid along with CPEC seems too obscure. The province, which has always been marginalized and its city (Gwadar) that is known to become an economic hub soon suffers from acute drinkable water scarcity; therefore, it is a quite difficult task to induce the masses toward such a lucrative project and making them believe in the project’s accomplishment as a harbinger of peace and relief for them.
Read also: CPEC: A Corridor of Secrecy
Undoubtedly, the $46 billion mega project will ease much of the woes on national and provincial level, yet it needs a strong will to take people of the province as well as Gwadar into confidence; otherwise the outer case of CPEC machinery might look charming, but it will not function smoothly, unless it fulfills its primary responsibility to cater to the basic needs of the masses.
In an article titled ‘Worrying development: Field notes on war and peace in Balochistan’, published in Herald on May 13, 2016, it was highlighted that most of the poor people in Gwadar were even unaware of the word ‘development’ whereas the city had been termed as the future economic hub of the country via Chinese investment on its Port development. The article also highlighted the growing cost of real-estate business in Gwadar with CPEC initiative. As per data mentioned in article, two years back a 600 square yard land cost 400,000 rupees to purchase, now its cost has soared to two million.
With the growing business cost, Gwadar might become an elite-dominated city compelling the middle-class to migrate due to costly livelihood. If it happened, the growing concerns about Baloch conversion into minority would be a true story.
A part from Gwadar port, Balochistan is a mineral-rich land. Will China only focus on Gwadar port? The answer may be no! It must be noted that Balochistan, from time to time, is also referred to be Pakistan’s lost city of Eldorado, a mythically lost city which was made of gold in South-America before 16th century. Rekodiq, after Gwadar, retains a significant place in terms of generating economy. Rekodiq produces world’s first class gold. It produces approximately 600,00 tonnes of coper concentrate per year, which contains 28 to 31 percent copper and 7 to 22g\ton gold, which translates to about 200,000 tonnes copper and 250,000 ounces of gold per year.
Furthermore, according to the Geographical Survey of Pakistan(GSP), there are reserves of 19 trillion cubic feet of gas and 6 trillion barrels of oil in Balochistan.
As per the above mentioned data, it might have been obvious that Gwadar will give China access to resource-rich central Asia and for the people residing in Central Asian countries experts say they are sitting in the bomb (oil rich land) which drags focus of all mighty countries. By this context, prosperity laden trucks of China might also touch Rekodiq, after winning the marathon of sea hegemony from three other participants: India, Iran and US.
Coming to the point, before elaborating pre and post significance of CPEC, an immediate response to the headline that ” na sona na chandi, chor ghar say pani lay kar frar” might heal the real beneficiaries of this project first.
Writer is a featured contributor for Balochistan Voices and writes a weekly opinion piece with the title of Finishing Point.
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