None of India’s business

By
PakistanToday
-
5
136

Making a mountain out of a molehill

The transfer of the Gwadar Port Authority operations from a long non-performing Singapore company to a Chinese state owned enterprise after mutual agreement between the two has drawn a needlessly frivolous public response from the Indian Defence Minister. This appears to be based solely on the probable geopolitical implications for India and its fears that China is bent upon encircling it with a string of ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It was apt that these remarks were made at an air show in Bangalore where no doubt the latest military aircraft were on display and a Chinese military delegation also present by invitation. But for Pakistan the Gwadar venture is essentially a commercial one. Pakistan is desperate for a second modern port running at full capacity and optimal utilization to help in economic uplift of the backward region, in building connecting roads to facilitate carriage of merchandise to all parts of the country and as a catalyst for a quantum leap in trade with China. It can also lead to a rail link with China’s western Xinjiang province bordering Pakistan in the future benefiting trade and energy traffic.

The reaction of the Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman to A.K Anthony’s uncalled for statement was thus simple and concise: how Pakistan manages Gwadar is none of India’s business. True, the port is of mouth-watering strategic importance, being close to the world’s key oil shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and Iran, and the Indian establishment, which is locked in a ‘sphere of influence’ cold war with fellow Asian giant China appears rattled by any subsequent military aspect of the port. The Indian minister’s remarks can be interpreted to mean that the concept of a successful Gwadar project is contrary to his country’s national security interests, which is preposterous. The Indian economy is thriving with a high annual growth rate and the country is also the world’s leading arms importer, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Pakistan’s leading role in the war on terror has severely drained its economic resources, and its major concern at the moment is the perilous state of the economy, which can be given a welcome boost if the Gwadar port starts functioning to its full potential. You can make a mountain out of a molehill, but for the moment at least, that’s all there is to it.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. The question for Pakistanis shouldn't be whether it's in India's interest or not but whether or not Pakistan will ever get Gwadar port back from the Chinese, especially once it is connected to China via high-speed rail service.

  2. When will we the Pakistanis be able to run our ships and other installations ourselves? Gawadar port and other resources be operated by our own people why Singapore Chine or others?

    • Because these countries invest in these projects unlike our government,our government is too busy pocketing everything they can get their hands on.And to answer your question,When Pakistanis finally learn their lessons and stop electing these corrupt ****bags,then and only then you can bake your cake and eat it too.So make your vote count,complaining alone won't get you but Zardari again,do you really want that for another 5 years or even PML-N ?????

  3. FIRST OF ALL LET INDIAN MANAGE THEIR OWN AFFAIRS DELHI IS APE CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY. REMOVE THIS BLOT THEN TALK OF MANAGING A PORT BY CHINESES

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