The politics of Gwadar Port: Baluch nationalism and Sino-Pak relations

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Gwadar Port, an integral component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is at the centre of a political trilemma involving China, Pakistan and the Baluch. The long simmering ethnic tension between the Baluch and the Punjabis within Pakistan has created a trust deficit which is now exacerbated by perceptions that the Punjabi-dominated Federal Government is prioritising Chinese interests over the Baluch. This paper examines the dynamics, challenges and prospects of the Gwadar Port in the context of Pakistan’s domestic politics vis-à-vis Baluch nationalism and its international relations with China. It draws on the history of Baluch nationalism to find comparable lessons for today’s crisis. The central argument is that China and Pakistan need to be sensitive to the interests of the Baluch for the Gwadar Port to be successful. China’s strategy of relying on Pakistan’s military to quell local uprisings is a band aid approach, which will never succeed against ethnonationalist fervour in the long run. Pakistan, for its part, should rise above its internal politics to capitalise on this once in a lifetime economic opportunity afforded by CPEC that can fundamentally alter its fortunes.