Gwadar - Koh-i-Batil and the Pearl Continental

I left Turbat the next morning and headed back to Gwadar. The location of Gwadar was considered to be of great importance as it connected heavily populated South Asia, oil-rich Middle East and resource-laden Central Asia as well as giving China an overland and much quicker link via a friendly Pakistan with the Middle Eastern market. If the area stabilises politically then goods would pass from Central Asia through Afghanistan and then through the Balochistan province of Pakistan into Gwadar. China shared a border with Pakistan in the extreme north and it would take 2-3 days to transport goods from there to Gwadar and which would be linked to the Middle East. The government leased out Gwadar to PSA Singapore for 25 years and gave it a status of tax free port for 40 years.
The Bronze Age people lived in oases within this region of Mekran. It was also a part of the Gedrosia region of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia. Alexander the Great, admiral Naearchus led a fleet along the Mekran coast and recorded that the area was dry and mountainous and inhabited by fish-eaters. Around 303BC the region came under local rule.
In 711 the Muslim army led by Muhammad Bin Qasim captured Gwadar. Both the Mughals and Safavids vied for Gwadar. In 1581 the Portuguese captured, sacked and burnt Gwadar followed by two centuries of Baloch rule. Ottoman Admiral Sidi Al Reis visited in the 1550’s and mentioned that the own was Baloch in his book “Merat ul Memalik” “The Mirror of the Countries”. In 1783 the Khan of Kalat granted suzerainty of Gwadar to Taimur Sultan the defeated ruler of Muscat. When he re-took Muscat he appointed a governor over Gwadar. In 1958 Gwadar was transferred to Pakistan and made a part of Balochistan province.
There were plans to build more rail and roads to Gwadar which would also lessen the reliance on the over-burdened and politically volatile city of Karachi. Gwadar was also quite close to the Straits of Hormuz. Its strategic location had also encouraged China to finance projects within Pakistan too.
There were quite a few hotels and a 5-star hotel, Pearl Continental. Gwadar had seen a big upsurge in visitors since the Mekran Coastal Highway opened and made it more accessible.
Gwadar at this moment in time was nothing but a shanty town and progress was slow. The native people were quite poor and would be re-housed when development starts. Most of them earned their living through fishing. There were a lot of prawns here which were exported as they fetched a high price.
Wandering around the town I saw nothing that I was impressed by but many new bank branches had opened as well as many property dealers. On the outskirts of the current town many plots were marked. Locals took advantage of the current situation by selling their properties and moving to other towns. If Gwadar was going to be a success the area would transform and I wondered how much of the natural beauty would remain.
There were many African origin people here who had been brought over as slaves. Now they spoke Balochi, Mekrani and Urdu.
I hired a taxi to the Pearl Continental hotel, the only 5-star hotel within the region. This hotel was situated on a cliff Koh-I-Batil which over looked the port, the city and the deep blue waters of the Arabian ocean. The view was amazing. This jewel could be a tourist paradise but it was only recently that a road was built connecting it with the Indus plains, the most populated parts of Pakistan. I also took a trip to the harbour and watched fishermen bring in hauls. The birdlife was plentiful too including Gulls, Terns, Cormorant, Herons, Crows and an Osprey.
I had been invited to the PC Gwadar for dinner by Rizwan from Turbat’s uncle. Mr Haseeb was a property dealer in Gwadar. We drove back up to the hotel where we waited in the lounge for three other guests. The PC Gwadar was immaculate and serene. The washroom, lounge and what I could see of the restaurant were of a modern standard.
I was very hungry and I had not eaten since breakfast. The guests were in no rush to arrive and I started to feel tired and losing concentration.
They took quite a while arriving and I was worried my hotel may close if we were too late. For starters they ordered cheesy bread sticks and the main course consisted of local fish, lentils, mixed vegetables and a meat dish. I was very keen on the fish and bread sticks but the others I did not care for. I could not have more than my share otherwise it would look very bad in front of the other guests who were older although being an outsider I would not have attracted any criticism for being greedy but I did not want to risk it.