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| Aerial view of Gwadar Port (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Farooq Yousaf
In February this year, Pakistan finally handed over the operations of Gwadar Port, located in Balochistan province, to China. For both countries the deal was business as usual, but for one neighbor, India, the deal rang alarm bells, with Indian defense minister, A.K. Antony calling it a matter of concern.
In 2007, during the rule of General Pervez Musharraf, the development and operating rights for Gwadar Port were surprisingly handed over to the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) on a forty-year lease. Few had anticipated this decision, given that China had provided eighty percent of the total funding during the first phase of the port's development. However, Musharraf at the time was mindful of displeasing Washington by giving the lease to China.
Read the full story at The Diplomat