Daily Times

Every successive government has tried to hop aboard the Gwadar bandwagon; enticing the local community and the international investors with its untapped potential as an Arabian pearl. That Gwadar would soon become the gateway to South Asia; a connecting bridge with the Central Asian States and the ultimate path to Pakistan’s prosperity has been reiterated to the point of repetition so much so that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s pledge regarding the “fruit of development” did not carry much oomph or worthwhile buzz.

While his interest in taking the sweeteners down the chain to the masses does indicate that the ruling elite has learned its lesson and now they would have to take the interests of the local community on board, one cannot help but wonder whatsoever became of all such promises of the days gone by? Gwadar sits at the heart of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and its prosperity is routinely touted as a future lifeline for our fragile economy.

But as the protestors in the Makran coastal region get louder, the government would have to (sooner or later) realise the error in its ways. The local population is justified in demanding the security of their own livelihoods and a seat at the deliberations table. After all, for those sitting in Islamabad, the shining port might not be anything more than some detailed presentation slides or a barometer of their own progress.

Besides, cutting ribbons to infrastructural projects, the government would have to do a finer job at persuading the residents of their share in the game. This is where schemes like laptop quotas, clean drinking water, institutes of learning and higher employability could be invested to win the confidence of the disgruntled brethren. No qualms about the hidden potential of Balochistan but there’s no merit to constructing walls and closing doors when it comes to the spread of its development. *