Introduction

       The Gwadar port of Pakistan is a warm water sea port located on the shore of Arabian Sea in the Province of Balochistan. It holds the utmost importance because of its location. Gwadar was identified as a sea port in 1954, while the city was not even included in the Pakistani Territories. All the neighbouring countries of Pakistan do not have access to the Sea, means they are land-locked. They need to pass through Pakistan for their Import/Export and Gwadar holds the position of gateway of their Trade.

Location

      Gwadar port has the Coordinates of 25.1106°N 62.3396°E. It is located about 533 kilometres away from the Largest city of Pakistan, Karachi which is in the Province of Sindh. It is about 360 kilometres away from Oman, which is home to one of the biggest reserves of Oil in the world. And Oil being one of the largest portion of Foreign Trade among countries, Gwadar port gets another positive point for the trading of Crude Oil.

      The port is arranged on a rough outcropping in the Bedouin ocean that structures part of a characteristic hammerhead-molded promontory distending out from the Pakistani coastline. The landmass, known as the Gwadar Promentory, comprises of rough outcropping achieving an elevation of 560 feet with a width of 2.5 miles that are associated with the Pakistani shore by a limited and sandy 12 kilometer long isthmus. The isthmus isolates the shallow Padi Zirr narrows toward the west, from the profound water Demi Zirr harbor in the east.

Background

      Pakistan identified Gwadar as a port site as far back as 1954 when Gwadar was still under Omani rule. Pakistan's interest in Gwadar started when, in 1954, it engaged the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a survey of its coastline. The USGS deputed the surveyor, Worth Condrick, for the survey, who identified Gwadar as a suitable site for a seaport. After four years of negotiations, Pakistan purchased the Gwadar enclave from Oman for US$3 million on 8 September 1958 and Gwadar officially became part of Pakistan on 8 December 1958, after 200 years of Omani rule.

A small wharf at Gwadar was completed in 1992, and formal proposals for a deep sea port at Gwadar were unveiled a year later in 1993. Construction on Phase 1 of the project began in 2002 after the agreement for its construction was signed during the state visit of Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji in 2001. After completion of Phase 1 in 2007, the first commercial cargo vessel to dock at the port was the "Pos Glory," with 70,000 Metric Tonnes of Wheat on 15 March 2008.

 

Importance for other countries

     Gwadar port will provide its services for the countries which inlcude Central Asian States i.e Turkmenistan, Kazakhztan, Russia, China especially, Mongolia, Turkey and India etc. These countries had to send their goods back from the destination hundreds and thousands of miles before putting them on the track towards final destination. This resulted in millions of dollars wasted just to reach the port away from their track. With the establishment of Gwadar port, these countries will not only benefit the Decrease in cost of exporting/ importing but also have a significant decrease in time. It will also help Pakistan earn foreign income and have a significant increase in their transportation business. 

 Gwadar Special Economic Zone 

       

The extended port will be situated almost a 2,282 section of land facilitated commerce range in Gwadar which is being displayed on the lines of the Extraordinary Financial Zones of China.The swathe of land was given to the China Abroad Port Holding Organization in November 2015 as a major aspect of a 43-year lease, while development of the venture started on 20 June 2016. The unique monetary zone is relied upon to utilize roughly 40,000 people, with probability for future expansion.

The extraordinary monetary zone will incorporate assembling zones, coordinations center points, distribution centers, and show centres. Business built up in the exceptional financial zone will be excluded from Pakistani wage, deals, and government extract charges for 23 years. Temporary workers and subcontractors connected with China Abroad Port Holding Organization will be absolved from such expenses for 20 years, while a 40-year impose occasion will be conceded for imports of gear, materials, plants, apparatus, machines and adornments that are to be for development of Gwadar Port and unique financial zone.

The unique monetary zone will be finished in three stages. By 2025, it is conceived that assembling and handling businesses will be created, while advance development of the zone is expected to be finished by 2030. On 10 April 2016, conversing with The Washington Post, Zhang Baozhong, administrator of China Abroad Port Holding Organization said that his organization could spend an aggregate of $4.5 billion on streets, power, inns and other foundation for the modern zone, which he said would be interested in non-Chinese organizations. The organization likewise plans to assemble a global air terminal and power plant for Gwadar.

 

Opening of doors towards Progress

    Although Gwadar is already showing the bright future of Pakistan and its neighbouring countries. It is of utmost importance to keep the maintenance of the port in view and keep the Corruption and other harming qualities of our beloved politicians away from it

 

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