ABOUT THE BOOK
The Gwadar Deep Sea Port Project being developed in Balochistan at the crossroads of South Asia and West Asia is the largest developmental project being undertaken in Pakistan and kickstarts development in a hitherto undeveloped region and brings in an extra-regional power—China. Its location at the entrance of the Gulf, the continued unstable environment in the Gulf region after the Gulf War and the emergence of the Central Asian States have enhanced the geo-strategic significance of the port.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had realised its significance and was keen to gain access to Gwadar for an opening to the Indian Ocean. Pakistan has been interested in the project to gain strategic depth further to the southwest from its major ports in the Karachi-Bin Qasim Complex that has long been vulnerable to the Indian Navy as was reflected in 1971. China has enormous stakes in Gwadar and is involved with its construction and operation. The port is the lynchpin of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, whose success depends on the economic viability of Gwadar Port.
The presence of an extra-regional power in a geopolitically delicate region could disturb the existing balance of power within the region as well as in its vicinity. Islamabad views China`s presence at Gwadar as a security guarantee of Beijing`s commitment to Pakistan. The Chinese presence at Gwadar also provides China with a strategic outpost at the mouth of the Gulf, akin to Gibraltar in the Mediterranean, and enables it to interfere with the shipping toor from the Persian Gulf, besides providing it with a crucial foothold in South Asia. This book deals with different aspects of this Chinese ‘Gibraltar’.
ABOUT Author
Alok Bansal, a former naval Captain, is Director, India Foundation. He is also the Secretary-General of the Asian Eurasian Human Rights Forum and a member of the Ladakh Planning Board. He was the Founder-Executive Director of the South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs (SAISA) and the facilitator of the India Policy Group on Afghanistan. He was a visiting professor at the Pakistan Studies Programme of MMAJ Academy of International Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia. He has been the Executive Director of the National Maritime Foundation and has also worked with security think tanks like IDSA and CLAWS. He has been associated with the Jammu Kashmir Study Centre (JKSC) since its inception. He has an M.Sc. and an M.Phil. degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras and a Doctorate in International Relations from JNU.
He served in the Indian Navy for 32 years before seeking premature retirement. He participated in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka and has commanded two warships. He has written extensively in international and Indian professional journals as well as for Indian, Pakistani and international newspapers. He has participated in Track II Dialogues with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and was part of the Indian team at the Indo-Australian and Indo-Malaysian Strategic Dialogues. He was also an International Observer invited to observe the presidential elections in Uzbekistan in October 2021.
He has authored and edited nine books and has written numerous research papers. His research interests include South Asia with special focus on the Af-Pak region, Indian Ocean Region, Indo-US relations, Indian Diaspora, and defence and maritime Issues.