Sir: Gwadar is not a new story but an old development initiative taken by the government, once with Singapore and now with China. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is expected to further strengthen trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang emphasised the construction of CPEC during his May 2013 visit to Pakistan. The incumbent Pakistani government has also shown much enthusiasm for the project since then. The corridor will connect Gwadar Port in Balochistan to Kashgar in north-western China, which will make Gwadar not only fully operational but also a significant deep seaport in the region. Opened for operations in 2007, the control of Gwadar Port was transferred to China’s state-owned China Overseas Ports Holding in February 2013. At the same time, CPEC and the residents of Balochistan are facing various types of conflicts. As far as the route is concerned it was changed twice due to some political concerns. Every political party wants to have a piece of the cake being distributed under CPEC. The citizens of Balochistan are being given a lollypop in the form of a road without any other incentive. In addition to the dirty politics among political parties, the ongoing political instability has already caused huge losses to the economy besides distracting the political leadership from other matters of vital importance related to governance, terrorism, policymaking and implementation of key policies. Certain important visits to Pakistan by the heads and officials from different countries and international aid giving agencies including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank were either deferred or shifted to locations outside the country. What about Gwadar? Gwadar holds a central place in the utility of CPEC. The local people of Gwadar do not have basic facilities such as water, sanitation, healthcare and education. Gwadar can play a key role in ensuring China’s energy security as it provides a much shorter passage than the current 12,900 kilometre long route from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Malacca to China’s eastern seaboard. As is known, CPEC is a comprehensive development programme that entails the linking of Gwadar Port to China through highways, railways, oil and gas pipelines, and an optical fibre link. Smaller provinces like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be given their due share under CPEC. MERAJ KHALID Turbat