Road-Rail Link of Gawadar with Kashgar would transform Eurasia

By Usman Khalid

Mian Nawaz Sharif was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan for five years on 5 June 2013. In his inaugural speech the new Prime Minister usually announces a bold new initiative the follow up of which is often transformative. When Yousaf Raza Gilani made his speech after being sworn in as Prime Minister in 2008, he announced the end of incarceration of the judges of the Supreme Court confined to their home by General Musharraf who was still the President.  But the announcement was not followed up with resumption of normal work by the judges. The refusal to restore the judges resulted in the end of the coalition between the PPP and PML(N). Zardari regime eventually restored the judges in response to a “long March” by Mian Nawaz Sharif but the PPP never regained popular support. The trajectory defined by ‘resistance’ to popular will led to dismal defeat of the PPP in 2013 Elections.   

The Kashghar-Gwadar rail-road link is of much greater importance. It is a project the like of which is undertaken once in a century in the world. A rail link between China and Russia already exists and is being upgraded.  The Kashghar-Gawadar rail-road link could join the Sino-Russian link at almost its mid point – equidistant from Moscow and Beijing. This opens three options for global trade links:

1. With China, Russia and Europe bypassing Central Asia.
2. With China and Central Asia bypassing Afghanistan.
3. Up gradation of existing links with Iran, Turkey and the Middle East thus linking Eurasian land mass with the Middle East. .

At the moment, political environment does not permit the opening up of Afghanistan for building railways. Political will also does not exist for Option 3 which would link all the ten countries of the ECO which is a compact region of Muslim countries. But these ten states have in recent history been a part of different colonial empires. Their present trade links developed along railway links of the colonial era and have been the chief determinant of geo-politics of the regions. The building of a rail-road link between China and Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast is something totally new with great geo-political consequence. If it is built to world class standards and have low rail fares,  it would encourage Option 3 to be built early. The distance of Xin Kiang province from China’s Pacific coast is longer than that from Karachi to Kashghar. Clearly the Chinese understand the geo-strategic importance of the distance factor and the ability to avoid sailing through long stretches of the Indian Ocean. The Russians would also welcome shorter distances for access to the Middle East and South Asia avoiding choke points on sea lanes through the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas. The rail-road link between Kashghar and Gawadar would change geo-politics of the rimland of the Indian Ocean for ever.         

The enemies of Pakistan would try to thwart the building of the link by increasing their support to insurgents in Karachi, Baluchistan coast, and Kheybar  Pakhtunkhawa province. Pakistan must pre-empt those efforts and over-ensure security in the construction phase. Already the media of Pakistan, which is the mouthpiece of subversives having been infiltrated by the enemies of the state, is making noises that may well grow louder. The project is too important to be left to the whims of the media.    

I congratulate Mian Nawaz Sharif for announcing the project of such great importance – Gwadar-Kashghar rail-road link – in his inaugural speech. It has been  proven he possess the requisite drive to accomplish great things; this would be his biggest challenge. The patriotic overwhelming majority is right behind him and so is the military. He can deliver and deliver fast; I am sure he will. I pray for him and for Pakistan.++ .