April 15, 2009
Gwadar Port's Troubled Waters
Beijing's seven year effort to develop a deep water port and eventually connect land, rail, and pipeline routes back to China through landlocked central Asia appears in jeopardy. Recent events including the murder of three Balochistan political figures -- completely ignored by mainstream media more interested in the Obama family's dog and hero worship of a bumbling American merchant ship captain -- reveal a tug of war of 'great game' proportions between Karachi, the USA, China, India, and probably Iran over the future of Gwadar Port.
At present violence and strikes have shut work at Gwadar and the future of 9 additional deep water berths is in question.
Prior to Richard Holbrooke's unsuccessful visit to Pakistan last week, talk in the region was of an "Obama Plan" that might allow the competing interests to divvy up the potential of Balochistan as follows:
"Let Pakistan declare the Gwadar Sea Port as an international open port; Let
both the USA and China jointly invest into developing the Gwadar Port as a Deep
Sea Port of international standards; Let the USA build a land route and oil/gas
pipelines from the Gwadar Deep Sea Port to the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) of Central Asia through Afghanistan; Let China construct a land
route and railways (if feasible) from the Gwadar Deep Sea Port to its Khunjerab
Pass and onward through Balochistan, NWFP and Northern Areas; Let India
construct a motorway from New Delhi to Lahore and then Pakistan constructs a
motorway and railways (if feasible) from Peshawar to Jalalabad, city of
Afghanistan, and at the same time, Afghanistan constructs a motorway and
railways (if feasible) from Jalalabad to the American-sponsored land route
extending to the CIS thereby providing India and Pakistan a joint access to
Afghanistan and to the Central Asian States; Let Iran construct a motorway and
railways (if feasible) to the American-sponsored land route in Afghanistan
extending to the central Asian CIS member states thereby providing Iran a land
access to Afghanistan and the Central Asian States, and also to China through
Pakistan or through the CIS; and Let India, Pakistan and Iran jointly build a
gas pipeline from Paras Gas Field of Iran to India through Pakistan for meeting
the growing energy needs of both India and Pakistan"....
both the USA and China jointly invest into developing the Gwadar Port as a Deep
Sea Port of international standards; Let the USA build a land route and oil/gas
pipelines from the Gwadar Deep Sea Port to the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) of Central Asia through Afghanistan; Let China construct a land
route and railways (if feasible) from the Gwadar Deep Sea Port to its Khunjerab
Pass and onward through Balochistan, NWFP and Northern Areas; Let India
construct a motorway from New Delhi to Lahore and then Pakistan constructs a
motorway and railways (if feasible) from Peshawar to Jalalabad, city of
Afghanistan, and at the same time, Afghanistan constructs a motorway and
railways (if feasible) from Jalalabad to the American-sponsored land route
extending to the CIS thereby providing India and Pakistan a joint access to
Afghanistan and to the Central Asian States; Let Iran construct a motorway and
railways (if feasible) to the American-sponsored land route in Afghanistan
extending to the central Asian CIS member states thereby providing Iran a land
access to Afghanistan and the Central Asian States, and also to China through
Pakistan or through the CIS; and Let India, Pakistan and Iran jointly build a
gas pipeline from Paras Gas Field of Iran to India through Pakistan for meeting
the growing energy needs of both India and Pakistan"....
Labels: free trade, great power, shipping
# posted by Sinomania! : 4/15/2009 10:53:00 AM
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