In the tradition of “security” as a policy area, securing a particular regime, guaranteeing its sovereignty over a particular territory, plays a dominant role. The first general model of a nation-state, the “Westphalian” state institutionalizes this notion by establishing the precedent of mutual recognition between states as a foundation for a concept of territorially delimited sovereignty. Traditionally, the scholars have focused on the physical protection of the sovereign state, but in the Westphalian model, external and internal security (the protection of the state’s sovereignty and the protection of the social order) actually go hand in hand.
Sovereignty of the state is defended by using the security resources i.e. military might and political power. Both military and political strength depend on the economic and social forces at work in society. Without a working social system or social order, political and military strength of the state cannot be maintained. That is why social order is the foremost requirement of sovereignty of the state. Without social order, there will be week military and political strength, and in absence of strong military and political power the sovereignty of the state will be in endanger. In case of Pakistan, the society is brought back in order by our capable military, but the economy of the country is not satisfactory which consequently compromises the state’s sovereignty. To protect the sovereignty, Pakistan must strengthen its economy and to strengthen economy Pakistan must get maximum utilization of the Gwadar Port. Gwadar Port is capable to transform the economic status the country.
The importance/capability of the Gwadar Port can be gauged by the recent development when the Trump administration cut down the aid of Pakistan, but despite that the US-based NATO alliance wants to get benefited from the deep-sea port of Gwadar. Recently Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Hasil Bizenjo said that NATO representatives floated the idea at a recent meeting he convened with local and international business leaders. He categorically said that “they [NATO] are very interested and we are working on it,”. Apart from that NATO is already using Karachi Port for the transferring of commodities and supplies to Afghanistan. These commodities are then transferred on trucks and they reach Afghanistan in approximately a week. The jumping of Gwadar Port in the equation stunned the Americans. The transportation from Gwadar to Kandahar is more feasible than movement from Karachi Port. As Gwadar port is linked to the Chaman border crossing with Kandahar through well-developed highway, enabling truck convoys to reach Afghanistan in fewer than 24 hours.
This whole scenario increases the worth of Gwadar, Balochistan and Pakistan in the international arena. If NATO is granted permission to supply their containers via Gwadar using routes under CPEC, then adversaries will eventually back off themselves from destabilizing the CPEC. That plan was calculated to join CPEC because only India did not show up in last CPEC Summit in China whereas the US convoy also joined the summit.
This month there will be the official opening of the Gwadar port for all of the world. The Provincial Government of Balochistan has harnessed the efforts for achieving this point. More stability in the region will welcome more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) which will increase the standard of the common man of Balochistan. There was a myth that CPEC and Gwadar Port will only benefit the people who are in the top tear of the country, but now the stereotype thinking is dissolving as the living standard of Balochistan is increasing. Health, education and all basic facilities have been distributed among the people of Balochistan.