The Londoner

Pasni (Balochi: پسنی ) is a medium-sized town and a fishing port in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located on the Makran coast on Arabian Sea about 300 km from Karachi. Administratively, Pasni is the headquarters of the Pasni sub-division of Gwadar district that includes Pasni and Ormara Tehsils as well as Astola Island which lies 40km ESE of Pasni, in the Arabian Sea. The city of Pasni is itself administratively subdivided into two Union Councils. The topography of the area is marked by low jagged hills of the Makran Coastal Range, while flat land is more common towards the coast. Jabal Zarain is a small hill astride a promontory (Cape or Ras Jaddi) south of Pasni and marks the highest point (416' ASL) in the area. The unspoilt and pristine beaches of Pasni offer some of the most enchanting sceneries along the Arabian Sea. Shadi Kaur (river) fed by adjoining rain water streams, drains into the Arabian Sea just north of the town. Vegetation is sparse and consists mostly of hardy ...

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila on Friday visited the forward naval bases on the coastal areas of Gwadar and Pasni, for reviewing the operational preparedness of the Pakistan Navy (PN).  During his visit, Admiral Sandila was given a detailed overview of the operational readiness of the marine force and the state of the air defence, along the Makran coast. The naval chief was also apprised of the various projects being undertaken by the Navy for the welfare and progress of the local populace.  He was also briefed about a special selection and recruitment procedure of the PN for inducting Balochi youth in the navy. For this purpose, a Naval Selection and Recruitment Centre has also been established in Gwadar. Apart from recruitments in the sailors’ cadre, quite a number of Balochis are also being inducted as at the officers level. The navy has reintroduced the ‘N-Cadet Scheme’ in Balochistan through which students are admitted to different cadet colleges for...

By Khalid Hasan WASHINGTON: The Gwadar deep sea port will only reach its full potential if there is peace and stability in the region, Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani told a meeting here on Wednesday evening. Addressing the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Durrani said with the network of modern highways being built interlinking the region, Pakistan will become a trade and energy corridor bringing development and prosperity to not only the central Asia republics, but also to Iran, Afghanistan and India He could foresee a future where Indian goods will go Afghanistan and all the way beyond through Pakistan and Iranian gas could flow to India through Pakistan. The potential of the project could be gleaned from the fact that the Singapore Port Authority had signed on to manage Gwadar for the next 40 years. Pasni: The next port to be developed by Pakistan, he added, would be Pasni, which would bring the number of the country’s outlets to sea to four....

Gwadar is located on the south-western coast of Pakistan , on the Arabian Sea . It is strategically located between three increasingly important regions: the oil-rich Middle East , heavily populated South Asia and the economically emerging and resource-laden region of Central Asia . The Gwadar Port is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenues and create at least two million jobs. In 2007, the government of Pakistan handed over port operations to PSA Singapore for 25 years, and gave it the status of a Tax Free Port for the following 40 years. The main investors in the project are Pakistani Government and People's Republic of China. The Makran region surrounding Gwadar was occupied by an ancient Bronze age people which settled in the few oases. It later became the Gedrosia region of the Achaemenid Persian empire. It is believed to have been conquered by the founder of the Persian empire, Cyrus the Great. The capital of the satrapy of Gedrosia was Pura, which is th...

By Sikander Hayat Another day of agony and despair as Pakistanis live through a period of uncertainty but still I believe that army must not intervene in this crisis. These are the kind of circumstances when army need to show their resolve of not meddling in the political sphere of the country. No doubt that there will be people in the corridors of power and beyond who will be urging the army to step in and ‘save’ the country but let me tell you that country will only be saved if army stays away and let the politicians decide the future of the country, even if it means that there will be clashes on the streets of Islamabad. With free media in place, people are watching with open eyes the parts being played by each and every individual in this current saga. They know who is right and who is wrong and they will eventually decide who stays in power when the next general election comes. Who said that democracy was and orderly and pretty business ; it is anything but. Democracy ...

By Sikander Hayat Gwadar cannot prosper until it is properly connected to the world. There has been a good news in that respect that Gwadar will be provided money by the federal government to build a new airport in the city . According to Daily Dawn, the government has decided to provide Rs6.18 billion for construction of an international airport in Gwadar. The total cost of the project is Rs7.5 billion. The government of Oman will provide a grant of $17.5 million. A senior member of the Planning Commission said the decision had been taken under the government’s Balochistan development policy. The CAA has acquired 4,300 acres. It estimates that the airport will be operational by 2020 and it will be able to handle large passenger and cargo aircraft. The second phase of the airport is scheduled to be completed by 2030 and the final phase by 2050 when it will have the capacity to handle more than one million passengers and 50,000 tons of cargo a year. The existing airport built...

Sikander Hayat's World: Naval chief visits bases in Pasni, Gwadar in Balochistan (Pakistan)

Turbat (Urdu: تربت) is a city located in the south of Balochistan province of Pakistan.The town is the administrative centre of Kech District and Turbat Tehsil, the town itself contains one Union council. The town is located in southwest of the Balochistan province in Pakistan it is situated on the left bank of the Kech River, which is a tributary to the Dasht River. The Makran Range to the north and east descends to coastal plains in the south. The town is a marketplace for dates grown in the surrounding region and has a date-processing factory. Jowar (sorghum), barley, wheat, and rice are also grown, and livestock are raised. Koh-e-Murad (Persian: كوه مراد) is a shrine, which is located in Turbat, Baluchistan. This is a sacred place for Zikris where they believe that Muhammad Jaunpuri, who they view as the Mahdi, meditated and offered prayers for a long time. The followers of Zikri sect gather here at the night of 27th Ramadan for a ritual visit (Arabic: زيارة‎, Urdu/Persian Persian...