GWADAR: The transformation is for all to see.
What started as a tiny fishing town has seen Pakistan’s Gwadar metamorphosize into a major port hub – one which lies at the center of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
While China has poured in the money for the development in Gwadar, which is located on the Arabian Sea coast of Balochistan, a province in south-west Pakistan, the contributions made by Saudi Arabia deserve a nod too.
In February this year, Saudi Arabia announced plans to invest in a $10 billion refinery and petrochemicals complex in the coastal town, thereby paving the way to further cement its ties with Pakistan.
However, it isn’t the only Middle Eastern country to be the wind beneath Pakistan’s wings.
In 1783, Mir Noori Naseer Khan Baloch, the Khan of Kalat granted suzerainty over Gwadar to Taimur Sultan, the defeated ruler of Muscat in Oman. He continued to rule over the territory through an administrator even after reclaiming Muscat.
From 1863 to 1879, Gwadar was the fortnightly port of call for the British India Steamship Navigation Company’s steamers and included a combined post and telegraph office.
Sultan remained Gwadar’s sovereign until negotiations were held with Pakistan in the 1950s.
Locals, who recalled memories of life under Omani rule, said that they continue to follow several customs and traditions which were practiced by Omanis at the time – an ode to the lasting legacy of an Arab-Pakistan alliance.
A glimpse of it can be found in the Photos
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