Opening Doors to Gwadar

Opening Doors to Gwadar – A Dream Destination

Gwadar is the pearl of Pakistan which is being unveiled to the world in the wake of development being carried out under the banner of CPEC.

Breathtaking views of the clear blue-green peaceful waters of the Arabian Sea seek the visitors; majority of whom are eying the city for a short business trip. The plain desert terrain awaits intense activity as development of Gwadar as a major international deep sea port city gathers momentum amidst national political bewilderment.

REACHING THERE

Fathoming a distance of 600km from Karachi is possible either by air or by road. There are daily PIA flights to Gwadar from Karachi that land at the Gwadar International airport. Travelling from Lahore may cost between 29000 and 44000 rupees subject to availability at the time of booking. Flights leave Karachi either early morning between 6 to 8 AM or at 2 PM in the afternoon. If travelling from another city connecting flight options are not travel friendly. One has to travel out from other provincial capitals one day before and spend the night in Karachi, checking into a hotel or waiting in the airport lounge to catch the early morning flight.

In case you would like to travel on the 2 PM connecting flight you will need to start early from your city, and it will take you more time to reach Gwadar than needed to fly over to any European capital. Majority of the passengers travelling from Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar must take a connecting flight; timings of which are extremely inconvenient as the traveller is deprived of two working days, and an extra flight’s airfare as well as an extra night’s boarding lodging charges.

There have been rumours that direct flights from Lahore and Islamabad will be starting soon but nothing has been finalised to the disappointment of visitors who continue to face hardship to reach the dream destination of Gwadar in spite of announcements by the ex-Minister for Planning and Development Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, the government’s
focal person on CPEC.

Flights are generally full as batches of Chinese work force, local investors and property dealers swarm in quest of a Fortune buried in an unseen future, submerged in an uncertain political climate. Several locals may also be spotted on these flights. Their number surges as the world opens to this part of Balochistan led by those who manage to fetch a good price for their land.

SECURITY CONCERN

On my first visit I was very much conscious of security concerns in reaching and roaming in Gwadar. On the return flight seeing a young Chinese lady fly alone to Karachi was heartening for solo travelling. There are numerous security check posts on all entry and exit roads of Gwadar as well as on key positions within the city. They are manned by the Rangers diligently checking vehicles and identification documents and conducting their verification with the NADRA Database. This leaves one feeling as secure if not more than in any other city. The local government and customs authorities have together with the facilitation provided by the Ranger check posts, managed to eradicate the non-custom paid vehicles to a large extent; which was a norm in the first quarter of this year and a key security risk.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

Summer months are extremely hot with temperatures soaring to almost 50°C. With the city’s issues of little or no water supply and power shutdowns, the city tends to become deserted by early May. As the heat of the summer fades away, visitors start flowing once again by early October as the weather tends to cool down.

The winter months from November to March are the most enjoyable as moving around the dry terrain is much more comfortable.

WHERE TO STAY

Accommodation in the city offers little in terms of decent abodes apart from one five-star hotel built over a decade ago. The services of the hotel depend on how busy the hotel is but do little justice to the four or five stars it extravagantly charges for. Keep an allowance for 20000 rupees per night. The air conditioning of the lobby is kept shut in extremly hot weather and main entrance door of the hotel left open in later hours of the day as the desert air cools during the night to naturally ventilate the hotel lobby. The one plus, for sure, is the security; courtesy of location and the Security forces. Couple of motels and a few taverns in the city rarely provide the comfort or security one would seek and charge upto 6000 per night for a room. Availability could be an issue in the peak real estate business season.

WHERE TO EAT

Couple of roadside ‘shanwari’ restaurants, a pizza joint and local food shops in the old city bazaar offer little variety at present. The sole hotel chain in the city has a couple of restaurants, both of which may not be simultaneously functional subject to staff shortage; subject to hotel guest shortage; subject to weather conditions and the level of business activity in the port city. The limited menu, lacking taste in food options and time restraints are a cause of discomfort as the restaurants and room service hours are limited from 8.00 am to 11.00 pm. An early flight at 7.00 am or a long working day seeing you return hungry to the hotel to keep you famishing as you might be surprised to discover the mini-bar empty and not refilled following the last guests’ check out from the room.

SHOPPING

The old city bazaar offers small shops selling goods from across national borders. A huge variety of gents and ladies suiting cloth, a selection of perfumes, toiletries, condiments, juices and soft drinks, kefir (Mediterranean lassi), confectionary, sweets and chocolates are available in selective shops. Supplies of novel items such as gasoline and cement offer tough competition to local products so much that I failed to spot a single normally functional local petrol pump in the city or its suburbs during my visits.

MOVING AROUND

There is little logistical support to move around the city. Having landed at the airport, ensure you have someone to receive and transport you around or else you might be stranded in the middle of the desert in the summer heat not knowing where to go and how. There are no authorised taxi services. Some private cars and drivers may be waiting around but using their services might be a security concern as well as a rip off. There is no information desk nor any facilitation services available at the airport; no call-a-cab or rent a car service by any authorised agent’s service providers.

THINGS TO DO

Although majority of the visitors flowing into Gwadar are looking for a bargain buy in the property market, a visit to the distant lands of Pakistan would not be complete without doing justice to the natural beauty of the coastline. The winter weather is the ideal one to enjoy the picturesque scenic beauty of the seaside, the plain desert track and the white coastal mountains alongside the blue waters. Refresh yourself with the early morning fishing activity along the marine drive or cruising in the calm waters in a local boat for a sea view of the city. An enjoyable day trip to Jewani coastline to view the silver sunset in the distant horizon is a must. Do consider a drive to the Pak-Iran border returning in daylight to avoid any security risk.

Gwadar is the biggest challenge for our country. The question that perturbs the mind is ‘How will it finally emerge: as a modern planned metropolitan international port city or another unplanned ordinary city of Pakistan ever struggling for basic services and necessities’. This is the start of a debate en route to Gwadar vision 2030.