{"id":18529,"date":"2025-09-07T21:04:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T21:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=18529"},"modified":"2025-09-07T21:04:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T21:04:12","slug":"gwadar-governance-and-cpec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=18529","title":{"rendered":"Gwadar, governance and CPEC"},"content":{"rendered":"
Do Pakistani leaders really need to heed President Xi Jinping’s call for the Global Governance Initiative (GGI)? What does this initiative mean for a country like Pakistan \u2014\u00a0reeling from natural disasters, widespread corruption and the persistent threat of terrorism?<\/p>\n

A closer look reveals that the GGI should serve as more of an alarm bell for Pakistan’s ruling class than for the leaders of most other nations.<\/p>\n

Gwadar: A Microcosm of Governance Failure<\/p>\n

Once hailed as the jewel in the crown of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Gwadar now presents a disheartening picture \u2014\u00a0a microcosm of crumbling governance, driven by populist impulses and an alarming absence of long-term vision.<\/p>\n

The Gwadar Free Zone, intended to be a hub of industrial activity and international trade, has become a symbol of policy neglect and denial. Over 12 years since the CPEC agreement was signed in July 2013, only three of the 47 registered enterprises are reportedly operational \u2014\u00a0Agven Private Limited (fertiliser exports); Hangeng Agricultural Industrial Park (processing donkey meat for export); and Hengmei Lubricants Plant (lubricant production).<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, six completed factories sit idle \u2014\u00a0non-functional due to bureaucratic inefficiencies, logistical failures or lack of support infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The Roots of Resentment<\/p>\n

Gwadar’s problems are not confined to its industrial zone. Chronic power outages, water shortages, denial of justice, soaring unemployment and unchecked corruption by the elites have turned the city into a hotbed of public resentment. The old town with its cratered roads and stinking sewerage overflowing to roads streets and roads hardly resembles a shanty town.<\/p>\n

Take, for instance, a recent report by the Public Accounts Committee of the Balochistan Assembly, which highlighted massive financial irregularities in the Public Health Engineering Department. In 2021, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) revealed that over $4.46 million had been embezzled in just one desalination project.<\/p>\n

Despite the city having a modern airport and a deep-sea port, both remain largely underutilised. Pakistani investors are understandably hesitant to commit resources to an area where governance is dysfunctional and security uncertain. The once-ambitious plans to make Gwadar a thriving industrial and export hub have lost their appeal, it seems.<\/p>\n

Viewed against this backdrop, what does President Xi’s GGI means \u2014\u00a0if at all for the rulers in Pakistan? The GGI forms part of a broader set of global initiatives aimed at reshaping international governance. These include: Global Development Initiative (GDI) \u2013 Sept 2021; Global Security Initiative (GSI) \u2014\u00a0April 2022; Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) \u2014\u00a0March 2023; and Global Artificial Intelligence Governance Initiative (GAIGI) \u2014\u00a0October 2023.<\/p>\n

Collectively, these initiatives call for an overhaul of domestic and global governance systems to ensure stability, security, cooperation and shared prosperity. For nations like Pakistan, they offer not just inspiration, but an urgent wake-up call.<\/p>\n

China itself has implemented sweeping reforms and development strategies in historically marginalised areas such as Tibet, Xinjiang and Ladakh. If China \u2014\u00a0an exemplar of disciplined governance \u2014\u00a0feels the need to initiate global governance reforms, what does that say about countries like Pakistan?<\/p>\n

Isn’t the GGI a subtle but firm critique of democratic authoritarianism and military-dominated governance in certain SCO member states?<\/p>\n

A Case Study in Dysfunction<\/p>\n

Pakistan’s current governance landscape \u2014\u00a0both at the federal and provincial levels \u2014\u00a0desperately lacks rule-of-law-based systems. The constant self-promotion and symbolic relief efforts by provincial leaders, especially in Punjab, reflect a shallow, TikTok-era governance style. Picture food bags, tents and toilets branded with a chief minister’s face \u2014\u00a0evocative of tin-pot dictators like Idi Amin, rather than responsible statecraft.<\/p>\n

Even more concerning is the economic stagnation that has accompanied the CPEC investment. Despite $32 billion being invested across 45 projects since 2013 \u2014\u00a0including both loans and grants \u2014\u00a0Pakistan’s GDP remains largely unimproved. Instead of creating sustainable growth, this influx has only deepened Pakistan’s debt burden.<\/p>\n

Add to this the nearly $4 billion in new loans acquired for post-2022 flood reconstruction, and it becomes clear that economic mismanagement is endemic.<\/p>\n

As one economist pointed out in a WhatsApp group: “In the social sector, the multiplier effect is 1:13 \u2014\u00a0one dollar should generate thirteen dollars of economic activity. So where did the money go? Why didn’t basic economic principles work in Pakistan’s case?”<\/p>\n

Messages from Tianjin and Beijing<\/p>\n

The message out of Tianjin, where some of Xi’s key messages were articulated, is straightforward: sovereignty, resilience and economic self-sufficiency require strong, rules-based governance at home, complemented by respect-based multilateral cooperation abroad. This is the path China has taken, and one that other SCO members would do well to follow.<\/p>\n

As for Beijing, here’s a telling interpretation of President Xi’s conversation with PM Shehbaz Sharif, as shared by a Chinese friend:<\/p>\n

“The world is changing. The unipolar bully can’t rule for long \u2014\u00a0especially not in our neighborhood. China will support Pakistan economically and militarily, but you must address your internal weaknesses. We won’t back you in a proxy war. The healthier you become, the more you can benefit from us.”<\/p>\n

A Final Question<\/p>\n

So, does the GGI matter for Pakistan’s civil and military leadership? Can it guide a long-term strategy rather than fuel another round of short-term political tactics?<\/p>\n

The answer, perhaps, lies in whether our leaders are willing to accept that true sovereignty begins with good governance at home \u2014\u00a0not in foreign alliances or borrowed projects, but in building systems that serve people, not personalities.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do Pakistani leaders really need to heed President Xi Jinping’s call for the Global Governance Initiative (GGI)? What does this initiative mean for a country like Pakistan \u2014\u00a0reeling from natural disasters, widespread corruption and the persistent threat of terrorism? A closer look reveals that the GGI should serve as more of an alarm bell for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18529\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}