The idea of transforming the ancient fishing village of Gwadar into a bustling port city has been around since at least 1954, when Pakistan commissioned the US Geological Survey to examine its coastline. Its conclusion: Gwadar, which sits on the Arabian Sea, would be an ideal location for a deepwater port.
Gwadar’s potential went unrealised for decades, but it is now at the heart of an ambitious plan known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. China has pledged to spend $63bn to bolster Pakistan’s power plants, ports, airports, expressways and other infrastructure under the initiative, which Beijing positions as one of the pillars of its $1000bn Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
