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According to a press report, representatives of the PPP and the MQM sharing the portfolio of ports and shipping as senior and junior ministers are on opposite sides over the question whether Islamabad or the Balochistan government should have control of the Gwadar Port.
The Minister of State Nabil Ahmed Gabol of the PPP is said to be working on a proposal to hand over administrative control of the port to the provincial government, which the Minister for Ports and Shipping, Babar Khan Ghauri is against.
The proposal is part of the PPP government's strategy to appease the Baloch nationalists who have a long list of grievances against the federal government, and are embroiled in a bloody conflict with the Federation for the realisation of what they see as their just economic rights. Ghauri is reported to be opposed to the move, citing the constitutional provision under which ports and shipping fall in the list of federal subject.
On the face of it, the PPP's is an admirable stance. No one can deny that the Baloch people have been given a raw deal by successive governments at the Centre, which is at the back of the ongoing insurgency in the province. In terms of natural resources it is Pakistan's richest province.
In fact, Islamabad's dream to become the Gateway to Central Asia and also to provide China with a shorter access route for its energy supplies is also linked to Balochistan via the newly constructed port at Gwadar. A huge section of the much-awaited Iranian gas pipeline is to pass, too, through the province. Indeed, Balochistan figures prominently in this country's plans for progress and prosperity.
Yet it remains the least developed unit of the federation. The nationalists see Gwadar as yet another attempt by the Centre to exploit its resources at the expense of local people. It goes without saying that the Baloch people have a genuine sense of deprivation, which must be addressed as urgently and effectively as possible. The appeasement of the Baloch people is highly desirable. But the issue of Gwadar Port's control is rather complicated.
First of all, as Ghauri is reported to have pointed out, it is a federal subject. That is why the two ports in Sindh are not under the provincial government's administrative authority. Some people, however, argue that this hitch can be removed through a constitutional amendment. In fact, the current political discourse includes strong demands for greater provincial autonomy, and a new social contract.
Baloch leaders are vociferous in saying they want control over their economic resources, including the port. The problem though is not only a constitutional impediment that is removable, but the need to strike a right balance between the federal and provincial powers. While the PPP must be supported in its efforts to give due recognition to Baloch rights, this must be done in a careful manner so as to avoid causing systemic distortions that might create new difficulties.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2009

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