Author: Rehman Baloch
In 2007, the developmental project of Gwadar Port’s first phase was completed. Musharraf inaugurated the project. The second phase was going to be commenced by Pakistani Army officials. The corrupt revenue officers, bureaucrats, and other real estate agents acted as middlemen for them, where most of them were Musharraf’s companions. The initiative at the starting point was to buy land from the locals at higher rates than the actual demand of the lands. Moreover, they started producing different types of ads, newspapers, magazines, and TV commercials to showcase Gwadar as a future city, comparing it with Dubai and Singapore. They began calling people from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, and various areas of Pakistan and abroad, inviting them to come and invest in Gwadar, promising that the ratio of investments would double or triple. The government announced that there would be no taxation until 2040, which further boosted investments.
When the first phase was completed and the second phase was about to begin, the people of Gwadar sounded happy, expecting a new journey in their lives in the name of development. The locals started dreaming of a better life and well-constructed homes in the future city. Expectations became high as they anticipated English-medium institutes where their kids would study and become doctors, engineers, and lawyers rather than remaining poor fishermen like their ancestors.
However, the future city planning dreams flowed in another direction. Many projects like “The Sanghar Housing Projects” and “The New Town Housing Projects” began when development news spread back in Gwadar in 1992. The state authorities showed keen interest on behalf of the locals’ fundamental needs and benefits. However, they started by providing the most luxurious, splendid, and spacious plots, which were directly allotted to mayors of Gwadar, revenue department officials, government contractors, and other government officials. The fishermen community of Gwadar and other working-class residents were rumored to have no access to such plots because they had no connections in the bureaucracy or political support to secure them. In reality, the plots were already allotted in advance to their favorites.
The ironical strategies led to betrayal. Evidence pointed to the authorities’ intentions of making housing schemes to pursue their own achievements while sidelining the developmental projects intended for the locals. In the beginning, when the housing schemes were initiated, people thought of them as a new area for building homes. However, the schemes aimed to disperse people from their habitual areas to other parts of Gwadar. The locals only became conscious of this after a long period, mostly after the completion of the first phase, when they realized the real intentions behind all this development. The matter was not about providing housing for the laborers, workers, and fishermen. The main agenda was to relocate them to other areas, thereby gaining control over the old city planning and exploiting the locals from their areas. The development shifted focus to self-interest, bringing conflicts into the area and converting the mega project into a mega prison. State development only focused on economic growth and socio-economic stability. Before the CPEC, people lacked basic needs but had more profits through the sea harbor compared to now. This realization made people conscious of what was happening to them and raised fears of displacement. The exploitation of their lands and jobs turned development into a burden for them.
The second phase projects, like the “Gwadar Marine Drive” and the “Gwadar Expressway,” connected them to Gwadar Port and initiated an immigration process. People from local areas such as Old Mullaband and the East Bay area of Gwadar migrated to other areas. Due to various projects and their construction, people lost their homes, and many were shifted to areas like Dhor and New Mullaband, while others from very poor classes moved to places like Nigor, Kapar, and Surbandar. The inhabitants were not only affected during the construction of the projects but also after the completion. They faced different problems that were not addressed by the state.
The most recent case that brought chaos to Gwadar was the Gwadar flood of 2024. It was not a natural disaster but an irreversible act. The newly constructed roads, buildings, and boundary walls in Gwadar blocked the natural flow of water. Usually, the water drained into the sea through the Marine Drive and Gwadar Expressway. Many people claimed that the area had experienced heavier rains and disasters. However, the people living there had never experienced such effects before. The flood not only destroyed their homes but also affected all necessities of life. The impact broke houses due to water stoppage, and stagnant water caused various diseases, further exacerbating the situation. The flood emerged as a vast breakdown, affecting their homes and causing problems and illnesses from the remaining water.
Now, many questions revolve in people’s minds: are these tactics being used to force the residents of Gwadar to leave the area? Observations suggest that most locals in Gwadar fled and relocated to other parts of the city, such as Dhor and Surbandar, or nearby villages. Those who lived near Jannat Bazar, Shahi Bazar, or Old Mullaband were abandoned due to the project’s strategies, which caused suffering and rendered them incapable of staying and taking charge. Between the expressway and Marine Drive, the locals were forced to remain trapped in the middle, exploited, and buried within both the Marine Drive and Expressway to make these projects successful.
The majority of Gwadar’s locals depend on the sea, especially the East Bay (Demi Zir). East Bay is the main area where people generate their economy through fishing. However, all the areas have been totally closed off, and people are not allowed to walk there. Fishing is out of reach, and locals are barred from fishing during VIP movements. Gwadar’s economy is directly connected to the sea. The fishing community relies on more than just fishing. The entire chain of industries connected to fishing, including boatmaking, net and engine shops, fish exporting companies, salt industries, ice factories, and even donkey cart riders, is under threat. The displacement of the fishing community has disrupted the entire socio-economic setup of Gwadar’s local population.
Illegal trawling and fishing have worsened the situation for the fishing community, especially along the Balochistan coastal belt. The trawlers are owned by powerful businessmen, retired officers, foreigners, and politicians, making it difficult to end illegal fishing practices. These trawlers wipe out traditional fishing areas, leaving nothing for the locals whose livelihoods depend on the sea. Fish lay eggs during the summer, and locals traditionally avoid fishing during that time. However, the Chinese trawlers exploit all the marine species without such care, causing ecological devastation. Trawling is akin to genocide against fish and marine life, pushing locals to the brink of displacement.
Where should the locals go, and why? It’s their land, and they should be facilitated here. If deep-sea trawling continues, it will wipe out the fishermen community from Gwadar altogether. Since there are no diverse economies or agricultural businesses in Gwadar, every industry is directly or indirectly dependent on the sea. The people of Gwadar are deeply connected to the sea, as their entire way of life depends on it.
Many developmental infrastructures have been built in Gwadar, and some are still underdeveloped. But what has truly changed? The so-called development has only brought fear of displacement, social anxiety, unequal economic growth, poverty, inequality, internal issues, and restrictions on basic life necessities. In 2024, Gwadar still lacks a good hospital. If patients face serious medical problems, they must travel over 500 km to Karachi for treatment. Development has led to illegal occupation of beaches, exploitation of marine species, and securitization of coastal areas, causing the people of Gwadar to fear becoming a minority in their own city. In the name of development, the locals are being made helpless, forced to surrender their city to external forces. These tactics and strategies have caused immense suffering and allowed outsiders to take charge and ownership of Gwadar.
“.گْوادر تئی گْوادر منی بُرزتر ببات ءِ سر تئی”
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Balochistan Post or any of its editors.