Gwadar (
Balochi/ ur, ) is a
port city
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
with located on the southwestern coast of
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. The city is located on the shores of the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
opposite
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
. Gwadar is the
100th largest city of Pakistan, according to the
2017 census. It was an overseas possession of Oman from 1783 to 1958. It is about southwest of
Turbat
Turbat is the second-largest city in Balochistan after Quetta and 38th largest city of Pakistan. It is the largest city in the southern part of the province.
Education
University:
University of TurbatBalochistan University of Engineering & ...
, while the sister port city of
Chabahar in Iran's
Sistan and Baluchestan province is about to the west of Gwadar. On 2 April 2021, Gwadar was declared the capital of the
South Balochistan region.
The main industrial concern is a fish-processing factory. Gwadar became part of the sultanate of
Muscat and Oman
The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman ( ar, سلطنة مسقط وعمان, Salṭanat Masqaṭ wa-‘Umān), also known briefly as the State of Muscat and Oman () during the rule of Taimur bin Feisal, was a sovereign state that encompassed the prese ...
in 1797, and it was not until 1958 that the town and adjoining hinterland were exchanged from
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
For most of its history, Gwadar was a small to medium-sized settlement with an economy largely based on
artisanal fishing
Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fishing households (as opposed to commercial fishing). Many of these households are o ...
. The strategic value of its location was first recognized in 1954 when it was identified as a suitable site for a
deep water port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
by the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
at the request of Pakistan while the territory was still under
Omani
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
rule.
The area's potential to be a major deep water port remained untapped under successive Pakistani governments until 2001, when construction on the first phase of
Gwadar Port
The Gwadar Port ( ur, ) is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan and is under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and operational control of the China Overseas Port Holding Com ...
was initiated. The first phase was inaugurated in 2007 at a total cost of $248 million.
The port initially remained underutilized after construction for a variety of reasons, including lack of investment, security concerns, and the Government of Pakistan's failure to transfer land as promised to the port operator,
Port of Singapore Authority
PSA International Pte Ltd is a port operator and supply chain company, with flagship operations in Singapore and Antwerp. One of the largest port operators in the world, PSA has terminals across 26 countries, including deepsea, rail and inland f ...
.
In April 2015, Pakistan and China announced their intention to develop the $46 billion
China–Pakistan Economic Corridor
China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) (; ur, چین پاکستان اقتصادی راہداری) is a collection of infrastructure projects that are under construction throughout Pakistan beginning in 2013. Originally valued at $47 billi ...
(CPEC), which in turn forms part of China's ambitious
One Belt, One Road
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R), formerly known as One Belt One Road ( zh, link=no, 一带一路) or OBOR for short, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in nearly 150 ...
. Gwadar features heavily in CPEC, and is also envisaged to be the link between the
One Belt, One Road
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R), formerly known as One Belt One Road ( zh, link=no, 一带一路) or OBOR for short, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in nearly 150 ...
and
Maritime Silk Road
The Maritime Silk Road or Maritime Silk Route is the maritime section of the historic Silk Road that connected Southeast Asia, China, the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian peninsula, Somalia, Egypt and Europe. It began by the 2nd century BCE and ...
project. $1.153 billion worth of infrastructure projects will be invested into the city as part of CPEC, with the aim of linking northern Pakistan and western China to the deep water seaport.
The city will also be the site of a
floating liquefied natural gas
A floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, is a floating production storage and offloading unit that conducts liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations for developing offshore natural gas resources. Floating above an offshore natural gas fie ...
facility that will be built as part of the larger $2.5 billion Gwadar–Nawabshah segment of the
Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline project.
In addition to investments directly under the aegis of CPEC in Gwadar city, the China Overseas Port Holding Company in June 2016 began construction on the $2 billion
Gwadar Special Economic Zone,
which is being modelled on the lines of the
special economic zones of China
When Deng Xiaoping took over as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC), he presented himself as a pragmatic contrast to his predecessor Mao, who was more of a theorist and an ideologist. Deng's main goal was to lift people out ...
. In September 2016 the
Gwadar Development Authority
Gwadar Development Authority (GDA;Urdu: گوادر ڈویلپمنٹ اتھارٹی) is a public and government sector corporation responsible for providing municipal services in Gwadar City (Southwestern Arabian Sea Coastline of Pakistan), establi ...
published a
request for tenders for the preparation of expropriation and resettlement of Old Town Gwadar.
Etymology
The word "Gwadar" is a combination of two
Balochi words – ''guad'' meaning ''wind'' and ''dar'' meaning ''gateway'' or ''door'', thus Gwadar means "the gate of wind".
History
Ancient
The inhabitation of Gwadar, like most areas of
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
, appears to be ancient. The area shows inhabitation as early as the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
with settlements around some of the area's
oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
. It is from this settlement pattern that the word
Makran
Makran ( fa, مكران), mentioned in some sources as Mecran and Mokrān, is the coastal region of Baluchistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in Balochistan, in Pakistan and Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It extends westwards, ...
, the original name of Balochistan, is derived. For a period, it was a region of the
Achaemenid
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
Persian Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
. It is believed to have been
conquered by the founder of the Persian Empire,
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia (; peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Under his rule, the empire embraced ...
. The capital of the ''
satrapy
A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires.
The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with consid ...
'' of Gedrosia was
Pura
Pura may refer to:
Places
* Pura, Kushtagi, a village in Koppal district, Karnataka, India
* Pura, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran
* Pura, Tarlac, a municipality in the Philippines
* Pura, Switzerland, a municipality in Ticino, S ...
, which is thought to have been located near the modern
Bampūr, in
Iranian Balochistan. During the homeward march of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
, his
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
,
Nearchus
Nearchus or Nearchos ( el, Νέαρχος; – 300 BC) was one of the Greek officers, a navarch, in the army of Alexander the Great. He is known for his celebrated expeditionary voyage starting from the Indus River, through the Persian Gulf and e ...
, led a fleet along the modern-day Makran coast and recorded that the area was dry, mountainous, and inhabited by the "
Ichthyophagoi
Ichthyophagoi ( grc, Ἰχθυοφάγοι, "fish-eaters") and Latin Ichthyophagi is the name given by ancient geographers to several ethnically unrelated coast-dwelling peoples in different parts of the world.
*Herodotus (book i. c. 200) mention ...
" (or "fish-eaters"), an
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
rendering of the
ancient Persian
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...
phrase "''Mahi Khorana''," which has itself become the modern word "''Makran''".
After the collapse of Alexander's empire the area was ruled by
Seleucus Nicator
Seleucus I Nicator (; ; grc-gre, Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ , ) was a Macedonian Greek general who was an officer and successor ( ''diadochus'') of Alexander the Great. Seleucus was the founder of the eponymous Seleucid Empire. In the po ...
, one of Alexander's generals. The region then came under
Mauryan rule around 303 BCE, after Seleucus made peace with Emperor
Chandragupta and ceded the territory to the Mauryans.
Omani rule
The region remained on the sidelines of history for a
millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
until the
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
-
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
army captured Makran in
CE 643 and over the intervening (and nearly equivalent) amount of time the area was contested by various powers. This was then followed by almost two centuries of local rule by the various
Baloch tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
s. The city was visited by
Ottoman Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Seydi Ali Reis
Seydi Ali Reis (1498–1563), formerly also written Sidi Ali Reis and Sidi Ali Ben Hossein, was an Ottoman admiral and navigator. Known also as Katib-i Rumi, Galatalı or Sidi Ali Çelebi,Danışan, Gaye. 2019. “A Sixteenth-Century Otto ...
in the 1550s and mentioned in his book ''
Mirat ul Memalik ''Mirat ul Memalik'' (The Mirror of Countries) is a historical book written in 1557 by Ottoman admiral Seydi Ali Reis about his travels in South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. This book, which is now considered one of the earliest travel ...
'' (The Mirror of Countries), 1557. According to Seydi Ali Reis, the inhabitants of Gwadar were
Baloch and their chief was Malik Jelaleddin, son of
Malik Dinar
Malik Dinar ( ar-at, مالك دينار, Mālik b. Dīnār, Malayalam: മാലിക് ദീനാര്) (died 748 CE)Al-Hujwiri, "Kashf al-Mahjoob", 89 was a Muslim scholar and traveller. He was one of the first known Muslims to have co ...
.
In the 15th century the Portuguese conquered parts of India and Oman. They planned to proceed with annexation of the coastal area of Makran. They attacked Gwadar under the leadership of
Vasco de Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link ...
, but under the supervision of Commander Mir Ismaheel Baloch, the Portuguese were defeated by the Baloch. A few times the Portuguese looted and set the coastal villages on fire, but they failed to capture Gwadar. Cannons of the Portuguese army were found lying near the Central Jail of Gwadar. The grave of Mir Ismaheel Baloch is situated near the Mountain of Batal Gwadar, constructed by Mir Ismaheel Baloch himself during life. He died in 873
Hijri, heirless.
By the end of the 16th century, Mughal Emperor
Akbar the Great
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
conquered the city along with all of Balochistan after the Battle of Sehwan. It remained under
Mughal control until early 18th century.
Towards the end of the 18th century, the
Khan of Kalat
The Khanate of Kalat ( bal, کلاتءِ ھانات) was a Baloch Khanate that existed from 1512 to 1955 in the centre of the modern-day province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Its rulers were Brahui speakers. Prior to that they were subjects ...
, Mir Noori Naseer Khan Baloch, granted
suzerainty
Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...
over Gwadar to
Said bin Ahmad
Said bin Ahmad (died 1803) was briefly the Imam and Sultan of Oman, the second of the Al Said dynasty, ruling the country between 1783 and 1786.
Rule
Said bin Ahmad was the son of the Imam and Sultan Ahmad bin Said al-Busaidi, and was elected Ima ...
, the ruler of
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...
.
When the
sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
subsequently retook Muscat, he was to continue his rule in Gwadar by appointing a ''
wali
A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...
'' (or "governor"). This ''
wali
A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...
'' was then ordered to subjugate the nearby coastal town of
Chabahar (now in Iran). The Gwadar
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
was built during
Omani
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
rule. In the middle of the 18th century,
Mir Noori Naseer Khan Baloch captured Gwadar and its surrounding areas after defeating the Gichki Baloch tribe and included it in the
Kalat Khanate
The Khanate of Kalat ( bal, کلاتءِ ھانات) was a Baloch Khanate that existed from 1512 to 1955 in the centre of the modern-day province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Its rulers were Brahui speakers. Prior to that they were subjects of ...
. However, realizing that maintaining control of the area will be difficult without the support of the Gichkis, Mir Nasir entered into an agreement with the local Gichki Chief, which allowed the Gichkis to maintain administrative control of the area, in return for furnishing half the collected revenues to Kalat, this arrangement continued till 1783. When Saiad Sultan fell out with his brother, the ruler of Muscat, and asked for help, Mir Noori Naseer Khan handed over Gwadar, as part of his share of revenues, to Saiad Sultan for his maintenance with the understanding that the area be returned to Kalat, when Saiad Sultan acquires the throne. Saiad Sultan ascended to the throne of Muscat in 1797 but never returned Gwadar enclave to Kalat. The ensuing struggle between the heirs of the Sultan and Khan of Kalat for possession of Gwadar, allowed the British to intervene.
Telegraph line
Electrical telegraphs were point-to-point text messaging systems, primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecommunications system and the most widely used of a number of early messaging systems ...
s were later extended into the town courtesy of the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
.
The British after extracting concessions from the Sultan for the use of the area facilitated Muscat to retain Gwadar. Later on, the British claimed that the area was granted to the Sultan by Mir Nasir, however, local accounts and the declassified documents of that time challenge this claim. From 1863 to 1879 Gwadar was the headquarters of a British Assistant Political Agent. Gwadar was a fortnightly port of call for the British India Steamship Navigation Company's steamers and included a combined Post & Telegraph Office.
Pakistan
![Gwadar Port 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Gwadar_Port_2018.jpg)
Gwadar became part of Pakistan by negotiations led by
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...
Feroz Khan Noon
Sir Malik Feroz Khan Noon, ( ur, ملک فیروز خان نون; 7 May 18939 December 1970), best known as Feroze Khan, was a Pakistani politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Pakistan from 1957 until being removed wh ...
and his wife
Viqar-un-Nisa Noon
Begum Viqar un Nisa (also known as Victoria Rekha or ‘ Lady Noon’; 1920 – 16 January 2000) was the Spouse of the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1957 to 1958. By profession, she was a social worker. She married 7th Pakistani Prime Mini ...
with the
Said bin Taimur
Said bin Taimur ( ar, سعيد بن تيمور; 13 August 1910 – 19 October 1972) was the 13th Sultan of Muscat and Oman from 10 February 1932 until he was deposed on 23 July 1970 by his son Qaboos bin Said.
He was a member of the House of ...
, the
Sultan of Oman. The Sultan of Oman agreed to hand Gwadar over to Pakistan for Rs. 5.5 billion, at the time equivalent to US$2 billion, which was largely paid by
Aga Khan IV
Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...
.
In 1948,
Makran
Makran ( fa, مكران), mentioned in some sources as Mecran and Mokrān, is the coastal region of Baluchistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in Balochistan, in Pakistan and Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It extends westwards, ...
acceded to the newly created
Dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of I ...
and was made a district – but Gwadar at that time was not included in Makran. In 1958, Gwadar and its surrounding areas were transferred by Oman to Pakistan by the efforts of Prime Minister of Pakistan
Feroz Khan Noon
Sir Malik Feroz Khan Noon, ( ur, ملک فیروز خان نون; 7 May 18939 December 1970), best known as Feroze Khan, was a Pakistani politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Pakistan from 1957 until being removed wh ...
and his wife
Viqar-un-Nisa Noon
Begum Viqar un Nisa (also known as Victoria Rekha or ‘ Lady Noon’; 1920 – 16 January 2000) was the Spouse of the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1957 to 1958. By profession, she was a social worker. She married 7th Pakistani Prime Mini ...
.
It was given the status of a
Tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
of Makran district. On 1 July 1977, Makran District was upgraded into a division and was divided into three districts of
Turbat
Turbat is the second-largest city in Balochistan after Quetta and 38th largest city of Pakistan. It is the largest city in the southern part of the province.
Education
University:
University of TurbatBalochistan University of Engineering & ...
(Kech since 1994–95),
Panjgur
Panjgur or Panggur ( Balochi and ur, ), with the older name Bannajbur and Fannazbur is a small town in Panjgur District, Balochistan. It is known for growing dates.
History
Al-Muqaddasī (985 AD) documented that Bannajbur was the capital of Ma ...
and Gwadar.
Gwadar underwent major development from 2002 to 2007. In 2002, Pakistan's
National Highway Authority
The National Highway Authority (NHA; ur, ) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Communications (Pakistan), Ministry of Communications (MoCom) of Pakistan.
History
In 1978, the Government of Pakistan federalised five important inter-prov ...
(NHA) began construction of the 653 km-long
Makran Coastal Highway
The N-10 or National Highway 10 (Urdu: ) is a 653 km national highway in Pakistan which extends along Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast from Karachi in Sindh province to Gwadar in Balochistan province. It passes the towns of Ormara and Pasni. ...
linking Gwadar with
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
via
Pasni and
Ormara
Ormara ( Balochi, ur, ), is a town in Gwadar District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is a port on the Makran coastal region. It is located west of Karachi and east of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. This port is also mentioned in ''P ...
and onwards with the rest of the
National Highways of Pakistan
National Highways of Pakistan ( ur, ) are a network of toll highways in Pakistan, which are owned, maintained and operated by the National Highways Authority under the Ministry of Communications. It maintains of roadways organized into various ...
, which was completed in 2004. In 2003, the Gwadar Development Authority was established to oversee the planning and development of Gwadar and Gwadar Industrial Estate Development Authority was established to promote industrial activities in mega port city of Gwadar. In 2004, NHA began construction of the 820-km long
M-8 motorway linking Gwadar with
Ratodero
Ratodero ( sd, رتوديرو) is the capital of Ratodero Taluka, a sub-division of Larkana District in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Situated some 28 km from the district capital Larkana. Since the independence of Pakistan, the city is k ...
in
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
province via
Turbat
Turbat is the second-largest city in Balochistan after Quetta and 38th largest city of Pakistan. It is the largest city in the southern part of the province.
Education
University:
University of TurbatBalochistan University of Engineering & ...
,
Hoshab,
Awaran, and
Khuzdar
Khuzdar ( Brahui/ bal, ; ur, , ), historically known as Qusdar ( ar, قصدار, quṣdār), is the capital city of Khuzdar District in the central part of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 2nd-largest city of Balochistan provin ...
and onwards with the rest of the
Motorways of Pakistan
Motorways of Pakistan ( ur, ) are a network of multiple-lane, high-speed, controlled-access highways in Pakistan which are owned, maintained, and operated federally by Pakistan's National Highway Authority. At present, 2816 km of motorways ...
. In 2006, the Gwadar Development Authority conceived, developed, and adopted a 50-year Master Plan for Gwadar, which was inspired by the Chinese port city of
Shenzhen
Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
. In 2007, the
Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) ( ur, ) is a state-owned autonomous body under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation, which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in Paki ...
acquired to construct a new
greenfield airport, the New
Gwadar International Airport
Gwadar International Airport ( Balochi: بالی پٹ گوادر, ur, ) is an international airport situated 14 km (9 miles) north of the city centre of Gwadar, in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.
History
In 1958, the town of Gwa ...
, at an estimated cost of US$246 million.
On 3 June 2022, Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president of ...
inaugurated the 19.49 km, six-lane
Gwadar East Bay Expressway
Gwadar East Bay Expressway ( ur, , bal, دیمی زر بزرگرہ) is a municipal expressway in Gwadar, Balochistan, Pakistan. The six lane expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on 3 June 2022. ...
, which was developed as an early harvest project under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The
expressway
Expressway may refer to:
* Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic.
* Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road.
*Expressway, the fictional s ...
connects the Gwadar Port with the Makran Coastal Highway, thus improving connectivity and helping the transportation of goods towards Karachi.
Geography
Topography
![Gwadar satellite imagery](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Gwadar_satellite_imagery.jpg)
Gwadar is situated on the southwestern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan in
Gwadar District
Gwadar District ( bal, گوادر, ur, ) is a district in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The name Gwadar originates from Gwat and Dar ( bal, )، which means the door of air. Gwadar was notified as a separate district on 1 July 1977. The ...
of Balochistan province. Like
Ormara
Ormara ( Balochi, ur, ), is a town in Gwadar District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is a port on the Makran coastal region. It is located west of Karachi and east of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. This port is also mentioned in ''P ...
further east, Gwadar is situated on a natural hammerhead-shaped
tombolo
A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian ', meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ''ayre'' (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island become ...
peninsula forming two almost perfect, but naturally curved, semicircular bays on either side. The city is situated on a narrow and sandy
isthmus
An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmu ...
which connects the Pakistani coast to rocky outcroppings in the Arabian sea known as the Gwadar Promontory, or ''Koh-e-Batil,'' which reach an elevation of and extend east to west with a breadth of .
The wide isthmus upon which Gwadar is located separates the two almost perfect semicircular bays from one another. The western bay is known as the ''Paddi Zirr,'' and is generally shallow with an average depth of , and a maximum depth of .
To the east of the isthmus is the deepwater ''Demi Zirr'' harbour, where the
Gwadar Port
The Gwadar Port ( ur, ) is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan and is under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and operational control of the China Overseas Port Holding Com ...
was built.
Population
As Gwadar was part of
Sultanate of Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
during the British rule, it was excluded from all the censuses of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. According to the records of Oman from 1945, the Gwadar city had a population of 5,875. The population of the city has risen to approximately 85,000 as of 2014. In the 2017 census, Gwadar city had a total population of 90,762. Currently in 2020 it is estimated to be 138,000.The population of Gwadar is predominantly
Baloch.
Climate
Gwadar has a
hot desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''BWh''), characterised by little precipitation and high variation between summer and winter temperatures. Oceanic influence from the cool currents of the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
moderates temperatures, resulting in notably cooler summer temperatures compared to areas inland and cities in the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
such as
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
. The Arabian Sea also moderates winter temperatures, resulting in warmer winter nights as compared to inland areas.
The mean temperature in the hottest month (June) remains between 31 °C and 32 °C. The mean temperature in the coolest month (January) varies from 18 °C to 19 °C. The uniformity of temperature is a unique characteristic of the Makran Coastal region. Occasionally, winds moving down the Balochistan plateau bring brief cold spells, otherwise the winter is pleasant. In Gwadar, winters are shorter than summers. Although Gwadar is situated outside the
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
belt, it receives light monsoon showers in summer (June–August). However, in winter,
Western Disturbance
A western disturbance is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rain to the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, which extends as east as up to northern parts of Bangladesh and South easte ...
can cause heavy rainfall. Annual rainfall is only 100 mm (3 inches). In June 2010, Gwadar was lashed by
Cyclone Phet
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Phet was a powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall on Oman, Western India, and Pakistan. The third named cyclone of the 2010 cyclone season, Phet developed in the Arabian Sea on May 31 to the west of India. ...
with record-breaking rains of 372 mm and winds up to .
Administration
Gwadar serves as the headquarters for both the Gwadar District and
Gwadar Tehsil
Gwadar ( Balochi/ ur, ) is a port city with located on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea opposite Oman. Gwadar is the 100th largest city of Pakistan, according to the 2017 ...
. Gwadar Tehsil is administratively subdivided into five
union councils.
On 2 April 2021, Gwadar was granted the title of capital of South Balochistan by the
Balochistan government
The Government of Balochistan ( ur, ) is the provincial government of the largest Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Balochistan, Pakistan in Quetta. The head of the province is the Governor, who is nominated by the President of Paki ...
.
Neighbourhoods
Gwadar is divided into 5 union councils, which are further subdivided into wards:
*Gwadar Central
**Gazrawan
**Komagri
**Mohallah Zahoor Shah
**Saleh Muhammad
**Sohrabi
**Usmania
*South Gwadar
**Kamari
**Mohallah Karim Bakhsh
**Mohallah Shahdu Band
**Mullah Band
**Murad Bakhsh
**Sarabi
**Sheikh Umar
**Tobagh
*North Gwadar
**Lal Baksh
**Mohalla Baloch
**Mohalla Mir Abdul Ghafoor
**Mujahid
*Pishukan
*Sorbandar
Culture
![Orthographic projection centred over Gwadar, Pakistan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Orthographic_projection_centred_over_Gwadar%2C_Pakistan.png)
Gwadar's location and history have given it a unique blend of cultures. The
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
influence upon Gwadar is strong as a consequence of the
Omani
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
era and its close proximity to the
Arabian peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
.
Remnants of Oman era buildings can also be found in the city.
Strategic importance
Central Asia and South Asia, encompassing the Caspian region,
Central Asian republics
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and Iran, and the energy-rich 'lake' called the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
, is a significant region because of its huge monetary prospective and geographically vital positioning, which has formed the region as a centre piece in the international arena. Iran has also declared support for the development of Gwadar and its port.
Economy
Gwadar Free Zone
The construction on a $20 billion 10-square kilometre
tax exempt
Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...
industrial zone began on 20 June 2016.
The zone includes a 300
MW plant exclusive for the industrial zone. Despite Chinese investment, much of this development, including the power plant, remains unfinished.
Gwadar Port
China has a great strategic interest in Gwadar. In 2013, the state-owned China Overseas Port Holdings Limited acquired
Gwadar Port
The Gwadar Port ( ur, ) is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan and is under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and operational control of the China Overseas Port Holding Com ...
. The port is strategically important for China as sixty percent of China's oil comes from the Persian Gulf by ships traveling over in two to three months, confronting
pirates
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
, bad weather, political rivals, and other risks up to its only commercial port,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
. Gwadar will reduce the distance to a mere and also operate year-round.
China is heavily dependent on Persian Gulf oil which passes through the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
all the way through the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Once the oil reaches China's east coast ports, it is transported thousands of kilometres inland to western China. The
Gwadar port–Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...
(KKH) route is sometimes said to be safer, cheaper and shorter than transporting the oil by ocean tanker. However, research suggests that transporting oil by roadways from Gwadar to China would be very expensive, would encounter numerous logistical difficulties such as mountainous terrain, earthquakes, disputes with India, and potential terrorist attacks, and would barely make any impact on China's overall energy security, though Pakistan intends to build an oil pipeline to northern Pakistan that may allay much of these concerns.
Chinese goods flowing in the opposite direction may be able to find an easier, shorter and secure route to the Middle East. The city is also being developed as an export processing zone for foreign companies to manufacture in Gwadar before exporting to various countries in the region.
New Gwadar International Airport
![Gwadar Airport Underconstruction](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Gwadar_Airport_Underconstruction.png)
Due to the Chinese interest in the
Gwadar Port
The Gwadar Port ( ur, ) is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan and is under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and operational control of the China Overseas Port Holding Com ...
, Pakistan believes that Gwadar will become a regional hub. Prime Minister
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
laid down the foundation stone for the New
Gwadar International Airport
Gwadar International Airport ( Balochi: بالی پٹ گوادر, ur, ) is an international airport situated 14 km (9 miles) north of the city centre of Gwadar, in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.
History
In 1958, the town of Gwa ...
(NGIAP) at Gwadar on 29 March 2019. New Gwadar international airport is located in Gurandani which is around northeast of Gwadar city in
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
province. It is expected to cost $246 million with an area of and it will be able to handle big aircraft such as the
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner.
Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
.
The new airport will cater to domestic and international flights and will have an
open skies
The freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rights granting a country's airlines the privilege to enter and land in another country's airspace. They were formulated as a result of disagreements over the extent of aviation liberalis ...
policy.
It will be a
greenfield airport
A greenfield airport is an aviation facility with greenfield project characteristics. The designation reflects certain environmental qualities (using previously undeveloped or empty greenfield land, for example) and commissioning, planning and cons ...
with a cargo terminal handling capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year. It will have a single runway of length and width of to accommodate wide body aircraft, however an option to build a second runway in future is also feasible.
CAA Pakistan
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) ( ur, ) is a state-owned autonomous body under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation, which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in Paki ...
has awarded the design and construction contract to the
China Communications Construction Company
China Communications Construction Company, Ltd. (CCCC) is a majority state-owned, publicly traded, multinational engineering and construction company primarily engaged in the design, construction and operation of infrastructure assets, including ...
(CCCC), It is expected to be operational by September 2023.
Twin towns and sister cities
Education
Literacy rate in Gwadar is estimated to be 25%. According to
Pakistan District Education Rankings The Pakistan District Education Rankings are a series of 5 consecutive annual publications by Alif Ailaan, first published in 2013.
Pakistan District Education Rankings 2018
The last district rankings published by Alif Ailaan were in 2022.
Top ...
, a report by
Alif Ailaan
Alif Ailaan ( ur, ) was a nonprofit organization working in the field of education in Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. Launched by a team of media and communications specialists, the program aimed to highlight education on priority basis in Pakistan ...
, district Gwadar is ranked nationally at 61, with a education score of 59.47 and learning score of 62.65. Enrollment levels are low in Gwadar because of fewer schools in the district. And the level of enrollment declines as we move up the classes.
The school infrastructure score of Gwadar is 29.91, giving it a national rank of 122. 33% of all the schools in the district carter to girls as compared to 67% schools for boys, putting girls at a greater disadvantage. Lack of science labs and subject specialists teachers are also a major concern.
Overcrowding, teachers teaching two classes at the same time, lack of science teachers and lack of playing grounds are the issues faced by the residents of Gwadar.
See also
*
Gwadar Cricket Stadium
Gwadar Cricket Stadium, officially known as Senator Muhammad Ishaq Baloch Cricket Stadium, is a cricket ground in Gwadar
Gwadar ( Balochi/ ur, ) is a port city with located on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The city is lo ...
*
Gwadar Fish Harbour
Gwadar Fish Harbour is located in the city of Gwadar, in the Gwadar District of southwestern Balochistan Province, southwest Pakistan.
It is operated by the Federal Ministry of Communication.
See also
* List of fish harbours of Pakistan
* Kar ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Coastal cities and towns in Pakistan
Former exclaves
Gwadar District
Peninsulas of Pakistan
Port cities and towns in Pakistan
Planned cities in Pakistan
Proposed special economic zones
Purchased territories
Port cities and towns of the Arabian Sea
Oman–Pakistan relations