The Indus-divide of Pakistan’s north-south corridor

Following the commencement of spadework for Karachi-Lahore Motorway project, plans have now been finalised for the development of Gwadar Port.
According to a news report published in this paper earlier this week, the final draft of Operation Planning for Gwadar Port prepared by China Overseas Ports Holding Company Limited includes a logistics corridor of Gwadar-Quetta-Kandhar would also be constructed by the government along with developing transit trade with inland states.
In the medium term, Gwadar would be developed as one of the transfer and distribution areas of commercial logistics of fast moving consumer goods serving Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. In the long term, commercial centers have also been planned to serve Pakistan, western China, Iran, Afghanistan and Middle Asia, exploring the possibility of becoming an important transhipment hub and distribution center between Northeast Asia, Africa and the Gulf.
Both the KHI-LHR motorway and Gwadar connectivity projects fall within the overall vision for Pakistan’s future that seeks to transform the country into a regional trading hub. The new vision as articulated in the Vision 2025 document sees Pakistan as the conduit between east-west and north-south.
Sticking to the latter – i.e. the north-south corridor – the discourse is increasingly focussed around on the east of Indus – Sindh and Punjab – at the risk of ignoring the regions on the west of Indus. This across the Indus divide may have its roots in the fact that regions on the west of Indus are relatively troubled areas in terms of security, rule of law and, of course, terrorism.
If the eastern-bias of north-south corridor is only for the short term till such time peace resumes in the western regions, then it is not a matter of huge concern. But if this bias is to persist in the long term, then it may have terrible consequences. Recall that in this country’s history and that of others, skewed economic distribution has bred resentment leading to security concerns, separatist movements or both.
It was perhaps recognising these very risks that the Vision 2030 document prepared in 2007 imagined Pakistan’s north-south corridor as a road network that didn’t simply connect existing cities but also new cities. The plan was to build new cities, “particularly on the west of Indus (with bridges across the river), in conjunction with economic activities along the motorways and expressways”. The absence of this conception is one of the key missing elements in the Vision 2025, and it is hoped that the issue is addressed before the Indus divide of north-south corridors breeds more trouble.