Written By: Ahmed Quraishi
Pakistan today has a distinction few
countries have: it is home to one of the most exciting, strategic projects
promising to reshape the face of the region and possibly the world.
Think on a grand scale: the Suez Canal,
1869; the Panama Canal, 1914; the Karakoram Highway, 1966; or, the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway, 2014, the world’s highest railway track, linking Beijing
to the heart of Tibet.
And now there is CPEC, the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, 2019. When completed, Gwadar will do
something similar: change the traditional ancient trading routes between China,
Central Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Europe. This gigantic project requires
vision, determination, political will, and funding. All of these things are
available. The commitment of Pakistan and China to this project is solid and
unquestionable. However, Pakistan needs one more thing to make Gwadar truly
successful: a clear vision for how to position this Arabian Sea port as an
international city in Pakistan. To do this, Pakistani politicians, bureaucrats,
and the military need to get creative, to dictate the necessary changes to
ensure that Gwadar turns out according to plan, and not according to luck.
Gwadar’s ultimate destiny is to become
an international city, a hub for trade and finance, a centre of shopping, fine
dining, and a cultural centre. A cosmopolitan city that displays Pakistan’s
international spirit. To achieve this, Pakistani decision makers need to
introduce a set of domestic legal and administrative initiatives that go with
such an ambitious project, and simultaneously prepare the Pakistani nation for
this new experiment by exciting them about the future.
Why an International
City?
There are many types of international
cities. The model proposed here is of a cosmopolitan Pakistani city under
Pakistani laws tailored to ensure growth and success.
Let us be clear about one thing:
Pakistan is late in the game. Countries from Bahrain to Egypt and to Malaysia
have created attractive models of international seaport cities that thrive on
trade and offer a cosmopolitan experience. And there is Dubai, which has
inspired spinoffs in Oman and Qatar. Iran is coming in the race, too. Expect
Iran to learn heavily from Dubai, Doha and Bahrain and remodel Chabahar or
Bandar Abbas accordingly as Tehran opens up after the successful implementation
of the nuclear agreements.
It will be a tragedy if Gwadar turns
out to be just a docking yard with cranes, containers, and warehouses. With its
beaches, its beautiful weather, and the majestic desert mountains nearby,
Gwadar deserves to be Pakistan’s first international city that offers itself as
a trading hub, a financial, cultural and entertainment centre and a melting
pot.
Pakistan needs to study successful
examples to pick best practices. For example, laws in Gwadar will have to be
different from the rest of Pakistan for everything from commercial licenses to
residency requirements to property ownership.
One of the first things Islamabad will
have to deal with is the question of rural-to-urban migration. A new city with
vast opportunities will attract rural population shifting from all over
Pakistan to the new city in search for blue-collar jobs. To control this
eventuality, Islamabad could introduce special Residency Permits for Pakistanis
from other parts of the country as well as foreigners who wish to reside or do
business in the city. Unlike cities in the West and the Middle East, which are
mostly countries with lower population mass than Pakistan, we have to learn
from successful Asian examples of internal migration control. The idea is to
regulate the flow of people, not to block it.
Pakistan can see the Chinese example.
Cities in China have long regulated population movement into cities through
family registration or residency permits. China is relaxing some of the
internal movement controls from January 1, 2016. Having achieved its objectives
of helping major cities grow in an organized way, China is modifying the policy
to address some unintended side effects.
The Pakistani government can sensitize
the public through an advertisement campaign explaining how organizations and
disciplines are key to Gwadar’s success on the international stage. The success
of Gwadar can spawn similar urban experiences across Pakistan, maybe not on the
same scale but offering a similar level of work and life experiences. This will
excite Pakistani citizens, show them a bright future, and help them accept the
model of an.
international city in
Gwadar.
The Urban Residency system, known as
Hukou in China, is not perfect, and is tailored to suit China’s condition and
society. But Pakistan can study the examples and come up with something more
suitable to Pakistani conditions.
The internal security system of Dubai
is very effective. Local police is trained in dealing with locals and
foreigners, and has effective mechanisms in place to check crime, smuggling,
and other forms of anti social behaviour. Members of different nationalities
visiting and working in the city have direct links to the Dubai Police through
multiple channels. Dubai’s city government knows that the police force must
instill respect and fear in order to maintain the city’s status as a safe place
for tourists, visitors, executives and the workforce.
Since Gwadar has great beaches within
the city and nearby, Pakistan should study the examples of tourist resorts in
Oman, Malaysia, Bahrain, Dubai, and Egypt to develop this untapped potential of
Pakistani coastal regions.
Gwadar Government
Structure
For an international city that wants to
be known as a financial centre and trading hub, and attract talented residents
from Pakistan and abroad, Gwadar’s local governing structure should encourage
resident businessmen, traders, business owners, financiers, artists, and others
to become part of the governing bodies of the city. Those who run the city
should have a strong stake in it. The system should be designed in a way that
guarantees transparency and participation. What the governing system should not
have is political corruption as seen in other parts of Pakistan, which is of a
devastating scale. Also, since this is a national project that would benefit
all Pakistanis, political parties need to be sensitized to keep our brand of
chaotic street politics away from the new city.
The Government of Pakistan and the
Provincial Government of Balochistan can work together to promulgate a Gwadar
Basic Law, or a Gwadar Constitution, to give the new city a definitive legal
character. The idea is to have a strong involvement from the federal and provincial
government to steer the governing structure in the new city in the right
direction and help the Gwadar local government mature and take charge. One of
the excellent sets of governing law in this context comes from Macau. For
example in Macau, the local government is headed by the Chief Executive of
Macau; he or she is appointed by Beijing upon the recommendation of an election
committee. Members of this election committee are nominated by corporate and
community bodies in the city of Macau.
Control Controversy
One set of Pakistanis who should
visibly feel the benefits of the new emerging city are the original residents
of Gwadar and nearby areas. Islamabad can offer to educate their children,
offer crash training courses to young adults so that could be the first to work
in the new city development projects, offer them housing schemes on long-term
concessional rates paid for by family members working in the Gwadar and CPEC
projects. Pakistan’s strategic position offers opportunities but also creates
enemies. We have seen this happen since Independence in 1947. Though this is an
unavoidable reality but one that can be managed.
It is natural that one or more
strategic players in the region wants to see Gwadar and CPEC projects derailed.
This cannot be done through military means, at least not under the current
circumstances, so the next best option is to make it controversial within
Pakistan and exploit the weaknesses in our political system [foreign funding,
foreign links] to create impediments for Gwadar/CPEC.
The external enemies of this project
will exploit existing fault lines. The government of Pakistan must nip any
grievances in the bud before the issue grows and takes root. Members of the
Pakistani political parties, trade bodies, the media, and civil society can
receive regular briefings on the progress. These briefings should be well
prepared, and can counter any attempts to make Gwadar and CPEC projects
controversial. It is time to get creative about Gwadar and CPEC. These are
grand strategic projects and the Pakistani vision about the future should be
equally grand.
The article was originally published
in The Hilal (English).
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