Port status: Nine additional berths promised; none delivered. Channel dredging incomplete, restricting vessel size.
Free‑zone reality: A 25‑hectare “pilot” site opened in 2018; the much‑touted 2,280‑acre Phase II remains a fenced‑off expanse of dust. Dozens of registered companies have yet to break ground.
Airport delays: Ground‑breaking 2019, target 2022, now “over 90 per cent complete” and still counting.
300 MW power plant: Tariff impasse drags on; Pakistan now imports 100 MW from Iran to keep the lights on.
Social projects: Hospital, desalination plant, water pumps and vocational institute are welcome—but token gestures cannot offset local resentment over land acquisition and meagre job creation.
Bottom line: After two decades of headlines Gwadar remains a strategic pawn rather than a living, breathing economy.