A saying goes like, whoever controls the seas, rules the world; it aptly resonates with the contemporary world, where 90 percent of international trade takes place via sea routes. Indian Ocean, which is the third largest ocean and is at the nexus of global trade and commerce, with nearly half of the world`s 90,000 commercial vessels and 2/3 of global oil trade traveling through its sea lanes. The littoral states are the first-hand beneficiaries of IOR due to their strategic location around it. They are entitled to explore and exploit the untapped natural resources present in their specialized exclusive economic zones peacefully rather than investing colossal sums on naval power maximization and modernization against each other, which disturbs the balance of power in the South-Asian region.
However, China and India are currently engaged in a fierce naval competition in the Indian Ocean. India has been battling China’s increasing maritime modernization and development by strengthening its air craft carriers, ballistic missile submarines, conventional navy forces, and cutting-edge anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Furthermore, on August 29, 2016, the United States and India signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). As part of the US “pivot to Asia” strategy, the LEMOA was designed to improve their naval capabilities in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific theater, particularly in the South China Sea.
China and Pakistan, who are looking for different approaches to grow their economies, are confused by the global power politics in the Indian Ocean by the US, Japan, India, and their allies. China and Pakistan are concerned about the strategic imbalance in the Indian Ocean as a result of the United States’ military participation in Diego Garcia and its partnerships with Japan and India. Pakistan does not provide any military facilities at Gwadar, such as jet aircraft landing and takeoff facilities with views of the Arabian Sea and beyond, or the ability for PLA navy vassals to anchor there. Gwadar is a pure commercial port. Gwadar Port won’t turn into another Diego Garcia or possibly China-controlled Malta.
However, India, a large, nuclear-armed nation, naturally feels the need to dominate the Indian Ocean. Due to China’s militarization of the Indian Ocean and its maritime postures, India confronts challenges from both countries. There are basic reasons for India’s growing anxieties about Pakistan and China in the Indian Ocean. India feels threatened because of the close partnership between Pakistan and China and the efficient capabilities of Pakistan’s naval forces. For India, Gwadar Port would be used for maritime purposes by China, and it would help strengthen Pakistan’s maritime position through what they call the “String of Pearls” policy, which China and Pakistan explicitly refused. The primary difference between India and Pakistan’s rivalry in the Indian Ocean is that India aims to dominate the region with the support of the United States, Japan, and Australia to thwart China’s rise, while Pakistan does not intend to pursue hegemony, dominance, or even militarization in its maritime policy. India uses its dynamic “Act East” policy as another way to show off its might in the Indian Ocean. Pakistan, on the other hand, seeks to preserve equilibrium in the Indian Ocean.
Pakistan’s strategy of establishing equilibrium and favorable conditions for peace in the Indian Ocean has been quite effective. To safeguard the maritime passage of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and to eradicate marine crimes and threats, including piracy, the Pakistan Navy also engages in bilateral joint exercises with a number of partner nations, particularly the Russian and Chinese People Liberation Army (PLA) fleets. China and Russia are expected to expand their political influence in the western Indian Ocean in the near future, while China and Pakistan will bolster their maritime trade interests.
On the contrary, China and Pakistan refute all such Indian claims again and again and pronounce that Gwadar Port will be used for mercantile trade and connectivity under the OBOR. Indian apprehensions, however, continue, and it is trying to build influence in the region through a number of means, including an increase in naval presence to counter perceived Chinese and Pakistani threats. The intrusion by an Indian nuclear submarine in Pakistan’s waters on November 4, 2016, just ahead of the Gwadar inauguration, was a clear illustration of Indian fears of Pakistan-China maritime collaboration at Gwadar. Pakistani authorities believed that the Indian submarine was “Gwadar bound” to sabotage the CPEC shipments. India, on the other hand, refuted any such claims.
In conclusion, it is proposed that Pakistan needs to be meticulous in its policy towards the Indian Ocean and pro-active in search of multilateralism in the Indian Ocean rather than being exploited by any major powers for the fulfillment of its own national interests. It should propose the idea of Indian Ocean de-nuclearization in the United Nations as a first step to integrate the Indian Ocean region and lessen the exploitation of smaller littoral states by the power game of major powers.
The writer is a student of “BS Political Science” at “International Islamic University, Islamabad”.