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Belt and Road

Oman offer to build Gwadar railway conjures Pakistan port's past

Singaporean investment also weighed as Belt and Road stop lacks train access

Gwadar's seafront under development in February 2021: Local experts say a railway is crucial to make the city a successful major port.   © Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2021/Getty Images

ISLAMABAD -- A company from Oman is looking to invest in a train line that would link the Pakistani port town of Gwadar -- envisioned as a key stop on China's Belt and Road infrastructure network -- with Pakistan's main railway system.

The proposed multibillion-dollar project could go a long way toward resolving the seafront city's lack of rail connectivity. It also conjures up the past of Gwadar, which was part of Oman for 175 years. But at the same time, Pakistan's turbulent political situation is casting doubt on the prospects for pushing the plan forward and realizing the port's potential.

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