History of Gwadar: From the Baloch tribes to Oman and then to the Pakistani-occupied port on which India also had an eye.


There are only two forces in history that have recognized the importance of Gwadar, Britain and then Pakistan.




Britain's interest is now obsolete, dating back to the mid-19th century, when Afghanistan invaded the area in 1839. At that time, the British government felt the need to get information about the entire region between Turbat and Iran and to get acquainted with the historical, political and defense significance of Gwadar.


Pakistan's attention was drawn to Gwadar immediately after the partition of India and almost two years after its establishment, it made a serious effort to bring the area under its control.


The incident on the shores of the Arabian Sea had two reasons for Pakistan's interest in the coastal region: the economy and a strong defense. Gwadar stood as a major barrier to both these objectives. This wall could have been torn down only if this area had been included in Pakistan.


What was the need to include Gwadar in Pakistan?


Pakistan was facing perhaps the biggest economic crisis in its history since its inception when it did not even have the resources to pay the salaries of government employees. Smuggling exacerbated the problem as national resources were rapidly shrinking.


This old and undeveloped port of Gwadar was a major center of smuggling at that time. Although there was an airport here, it was seldom used, and the last time Prince Ali Khan of the Ismaili community visited here was in 1956.


To address the issue of defense insecurity, the government of Pakistan compiled various reviews, some selected excerpts of which were published in the Pakistani newspaper Nawa-e-Waqt on September 25, 1958. According to the report, Pakistan intended to build a road along this coastline of the Arabian Sea to Gwatter, the last point on Pakistani soil, to strengthen the country's defenses as well as prevent smuggling. Can also be overcome. But the biggest obstacle in the way of this project was in the case of Gwadar, over which it had no control. According to the report, this was the reason why the government of Pakistan started paying serious attention to the acquisition of Gwadar in 1949.


A region that gets 'free of charge under the spirit of goodwill'


These efforts culminated in 1958 when Pakistan and Oman held decisive talks on the issue, in which the former occupying power in the region and Britain, a military base in Oman, supported both countries. Thus the undeveloped port of that time became part of Pakistan.


The annexation of Gwadar to Pakistan was announced by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Feroz Khan Noon in a session of Parliament and told the nation that the High Sultan of Oman Hazrat Saeed bin Timur had handed over the area to Pakistan free of cost in a spirit of goodwill. Which was ethnically, linguistically, geographically and historically a part of Pakistan. It was also clarified that under Article 104 of the Constitution, this area would be considered as part of West Pakistan, it would have a special status but the rights of its residents would be equal to other citizens of the country.


The announcement was hailed as a major achievement across Pakistan and was celebrated with lights in all parts of the country. The population of Gwadar was also among these joys.


Surprise Reveal Ceremony and Time Magazine's Amazing Reveal


Agha Abdul Hameed, Secretary to the Federal Government, reached Gwadar from Karachi by sea to formally seize control of Gwadar from Oman. Floating in the water, he reached the cruise and greeted them.


The next day, the British Consul General presented Agha Abdul Hameed with the documents through which Gwadar was declared a part of Pakistan. The Pakistani flag was then hoisted at the Gwadar administrator's residence.


The incident was also seen in the Pakistani media as a historic victory for the country and a defeat for India.


In this regard, a very interesting cartoon was published in the daily Jang in which two doors were shown. One of them was the Indian coastal region of Goa, from which India was shown exiting while Pakistan was shown entering through the Gwadar gate.


This state of serenity in Pakistan continued for the next two weeks, until the September 22, 1858 issue of the world-renowned magazine Time. It was stated that Pakistan did not receive this occupation of Gwadar free of cost as a goodwill gesture but a hefty sum of Rs. The magazine also revealed that the government of Pakistan had assured the Sultan that if oil was extracted from the area, some of its revenue would be given to him.


Pakistani media published this news in a very prominent manner, which created a crisis situation in the country. The government was accused of providing false information to the nation and keeping it in the dark.


India's 'nefarious intentions'


In this tumultuous situation, the government remained silent for a few days, but after September 24, 1958, the Governor of West Pakistan, Nawab Muzaffar Qazalbash, broke the silence with a policy statement. This put an end to the controversy that began with the news in Time magazine and added a new dimension to the issue, namely India's interest in acquiring Gwadar.


The gist of his statement was: It is true that Pakistan has paid for the acquisition of Gwadar. This was because India was also interested in Gwadar and offered ten times more compensation to the Sultan of Oman than Pakistan. To this end, India has sought to ally itself with a number of countries that could be influential in the matter.


According to him, India's position was that the majority of the population of Gwadar is Hindu, so the first right belongs to them. (In contrast, according to figures released by Pakistan, Gwadar had a total population of 20,000 at the time of integration, of which only 1,000 were Hindus).


He revealed that after failing to offer compensation and diplomatic support, India made a last-ditch effort to decide the future of the region through a referendum. To this end, the Government of India also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Feroze Khan Noon, demanding that Indian officials be allowed to attend the referendum. According to Nawab Qazlbash's claim, the government of Pakistan rejected the demand and thwarted India's attempt.


When and how did India's interest in Gwadar arise? Its history is very interesting. The story begins in January 1947 when the Sultan of Oman realized that his country, Gwadar, was a remote and arid region where maintaining order was creating problems for his government. To this end, the Persian Gulf Residency Bahrain wrote a letter to the Secretary to the Government of India informing him of the Sultan's intention to sell Gwadar to the State of Kalat.


The British government considered the offer as it had long been interested in the area. But at the time, World War II was a headache for him, which had to be dealt with first. Therefore, it was decided to adjourn the matter till the end of the war.


How did Gwadar become part of Oman?


Among the published sections of the Government of Pakistan's report on the historical and geographical location of Gwadar, the greatest emphasis was placed on the fact that the state of Kalat never owned the area. Evidence of this is provided by several historical documents and a 19th century book by a British tourist, Major General Sir Charles Matt Kieff MacGregor, Wandering in Balochistan. According to this book, this area has been a part of Makran since the time of Alexander the Great.


As a result of the feuds and quarrels between the Baloch chiefs, the Gachki chiefs of Makran had accepted their domination under an agreement with the state of Kalat in which it was agreed that they would not interfere in their internal affairs.


This is before the arrival of Omani Prince Saeed Sultan in the region. After the failure of Prince Saeed's succession in battle, he reached Zak, a village of the Mirwari tribe of Makran, via Kwada in 1783 and was introduced to the Khan of Kalat by the chief of the tribe, Dad Karim Yarwari


Prince Saeed wanted military support in this battle for the throne, but local chiefs, instead of being part of Oman's civil war, gave Gwadar territory on the condition that if his power was restored, he would Gwadar will be handed over to Gachki chiefs.


This is also confirmed by the Balochistan Gazetteer which states in Volume No. 7 that: 'Gwadar was borrowed from Amanat Wada' ie Gwadar was entrusted to the Prince of Oman as a trust.


Documents submitted by Pakistan for the acquisition of Gwadar include a report by an Afghan pilgrim, Abdul Ghani. Haji Abdul Ghani's interest in this matter actually reflects the British government in Gwadar. When Afghanistan invaded the area in 1939, the British Resident General for Kalat hired the Afghan citizen to compile the report. The report, published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1939, also reveals that the area was historically part of Makran and owned by the Kachki Baloch.


The report said that Gwadar and Chah Bar (not mentioned in the report Chah Bihar) are two Baloch areas and part of Makran. It is a maritime area through which the strategic affairs and trade of the region can be monitored through control over the Persian Gulf. As if this is the extraordinary document through which the usefulness of Gwadar was understood by the British government.


It is clear from the evidence that Pakistan was compelled to compile these historical and geographical references to the ownership of Gwadar because it was offered for sale by the Sultan of Oman through the British Government in January 1947, which led to India became interested in it and engaged in efforts to acquire Gwadar.


Indian currency and smuggled goods in Gwadar


Two major reasons for India's interest in Gwadar are clear from the report of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. An even more important reason, according to the newspapers of the time, was that the area was known as a smuggler's paradise at the time. According to these reports, a network of smugglers was active from Karachi to Gwadar, smuggling gold, foodstuffs and other valuables from Pakistan.


According to newspaper reports, these activities intensified after Gwadar joined Pakistan. Reports of an increase in smuggling came as Gwadar's entry into Pakistan began to attract more Pakistani tourists and enthusiasts to buy cheap foreign goods.


At that time the journey from Karachi to Gwadar was by sea which cost Rs. 23 but in those days it had increased to Rs. 300.