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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