MARITIME TOURISM: GLOBAL SUCCESS STORIES AND THE CASE OF PAKISTAN

The coastal / maritime tourism is an important segment in a multi-trillion dollars and multivariate global tourism industry. It offers one of the new avenues and fastest growing areas for significant role in global economies. Various countries such as Maldives, Indian State of Kerala, Singapore and Thailand etc. have focused on maritime tourism with good governance practices evolved over period of time to earn substantial revenues from it. Pakistan has also immense maritime tourism potential with diversified natural, religious, and cultural tourism resources. But Pakistan’s maritime tourism is considered very weak due to various issues. With qualitative research, this paper attempts to explore and suggest solutions for the development of maritime tourism sector of Pakistan by analysing the tourism governance of global success stories and evaluating the nationwide potential and challenges. Arguments are developed that the factors behind the success stories of Maldives & Kerala state in India can act as guidance for taking initiatives on the proposed potential sites in order to uplift the maritime tourism sector in Pakistan. It is anticipated that the effective implementation of this paper’s recommendations would be instrumental in gearing up Pakistan’s Maritime economy.

Necessity of Maritime Security in Gwadar Port Complex

In the changing global scenario of international politics, the growing attention following the end of the Cold War, has been directed towards oceans. Indian Ocean and its region has gained immense attention in the past few years. Due to the presence of strategic Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs) and choke points-Indian Ocean has crucial importance to drive international politics. The level of competition in the region has increased. With China’s rise as a global economic power, the hegemonic status of USis beingchallenged. In this regard, China’s String of Pearls strategy comes to light with special reference to the One Belt, One Road (BRI). The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the most potent part of the Belt-Road Initiative. Thesurmounting attention owes to the geostrategic location of Gwadar. Connecting Gwadar with Xinjiang-it would provide China with an alternate route to reach the Middle Eastern and North African markets, ending its Malacca Dilemma. CPEC in this regard, requires a diverse map for maritime security which sees the interplay of four major navies in the region-US, PLA Navy, Pakistan and the Indian Navy.

Geo-political and Geo-economic Dynamics of the Region in Developing the Sea-based Economy of the IOR Countries

The geo-politics and geo-economics of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) littoral are interconnected to each-other with a large scale of Afro-Asian population and a tremendous maritime economic potential. Welfare interests of the populations of IOR littoral states demand tapping of the Sea-based economic potential, but the geo- political dynamics of the region are not conducive due to diverse dimensions of multiplayers in the region and gradual Sino-Asian power shift, where philosophy of enhanced cooperation for peace and sustainability is highly needed. The addition of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has provided new avenues to harness the true potential and uplift the poverty by improving existing socio – economic ties. The BRI has many challenges, and its opportunities can be exploited by China, Pakistan and Iran, through an extra efforts on diplomatic front. Based on qualitative research and content analysis method, this paper aims to analyse the various aspects of the geo-politics and geo-economics of the IOR viz-a-viz Sea-based economic potential and rationalizes the need of enhanced cooperation for peace and sustainability in order to promote socio- economic uplift and prosperity across Afro-Asian region.

Maritime Security Cooperation: From Mistrust to Trust in the Indian Ocean Region

Home to one fifth of the world’s waterbody, the Indian Ocean is abundant with a variety of mineral and biological resources. As the ocean space housing one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, it is crucial that its natural resources and its environment are safeguarded. In ancient times, this ocean space has been an area of great cooperation, however, in present times the Indian Ocean has been largely confounded by distrust. The problem under study in this research was: even though the Indian Ocean Region is an extremely important and highly utilised ocean space that a vast majority of the world relies on, there is inadequate cooperation between the littoral states as well as the extra-regional states in ensuring the waterbody is safe. As such, the objectives of this research were to analyse why there is inadequate cooperation within the Indian Ocean Region; and to analyse how the Indian Ocean littoral countries and its users can cooperate with one another in ensuring maritime security cooperation. Primary sources for the qualitative research included policy documents and correspondence whilst secondary data included newspaper articles, reputed journals and websites. The data gathered from these sources were coded to derive the analysis in this research. As present challenges are diverse and dynamic, countries are singularly unable to ensure ocean spaces are safe unless they have shared intelligence and information from a variety of stakeholders. The paper argues that Maritime Domain Awareness enables intelligence sharing, as well as in exchanging capabilities and resources. In conclusion, there are many avenues for maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean such as by sharing capabilities, resources and skills. It can also cooperate to eliminate non-traditional security threats, which affects both the littoral states as well as the users of the Indian Ocean.

Dhows in Doldrums: a Spotlight on an Informal Segment of Pakistan’s Maritime Economy

This paper elaborates upon the challenges faced by Dhow making industry in Pakistan, where dhows have always served as the traditional means of cargo transportation. Dhows have also been useful in trade especially with secondary ports and war -torn countries of the Middle East and Africa. The decreasing trend in trade through dhows is affecting not only the maritime economy but also may lead to the extinction of traditional and customary knowledge of dhow making industry. Pakistan needs to ensure that policy gaps are filled to address the concerns of all stakeholders and steps may be taken to identify it as a formal industry in the maritime economy. Moreover, training and capacity building programs will also play an eminent role in generating relevant workforce for boosting the growth of the boat making industry. Active efforts are needed for Public Private Partnership and incentivizing dhow trade also with the assurance of the availability of required raw materials that would help in the revival of the industry. The utilization of modern technology, adequate facilities such as revision of port charges and availability of basic infrastructure are recommended to excel the growth of this vital segment of maritime economy.

Regional Collaboration Among Countries in the Indian Ocean for Better Coastal and Ocean Governance

The Mangroves for the Future initiative (MFF) has operated since 2006 as a strategic regional and partnership-led programmeworking in response to the continued degradation of coastal ecosystems, which threatens the livelihoods and security of coastal communities and makes them more vulnerable to impacts from climate change. MFF follows the principle that healthy coastal ecosystems (principally mangroves, coral reefs and sea grass beds) can contribute significantly to human well-being and the resilience of man and nature to climate change. In its initial phase to 2010, MFF supported India, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Thailand to deliver a targeted response to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Since then, country membership has expanded to include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Viet Nam and the initiative has grown towards a wider response to the current and emerging challenges for coastal management in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea regions. MFF is also engaged with Malaysia on an outreach basis; and with the Philippines as a dialogue country. Co-chaired by International Union for Conservation of nature (IUCN) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and Wetland International (WI) as institutional partners, MFF provides a unique platform for representatives from governments, civil society and private sectors to meet, discuss and take actions together at both regional and national scales. At the regional level, MFF is governed by a Regional Steering Committee that provides strategic leadership for policy change and advocacy and also serves as a forum for country to country information exchange and discussions on emerging issues of regional importance. Within each MFF member country, a National Coordination body has oversight on the programme implementation as guided by its National Strategy and Action Plan and delivery of the small, medium and regional grant facilities1. Through its inclusive partnership approach, MFF has significantly strengthened the collaboration between the key stakeholders from governments, civil society, and private sectors addressing national and regional coastal zone management issues. In particular, the MFF initiative has supported national and local governments in developing and implementing participatory and sustainable resource management strategies, and, through awareness and capacity building activities, empowered coastal communities to participate in the decision making processes relating to the management of the natural resources on which they depend for their livelihoods. The present paper elaborates successful examples of regional collaboration initiated through MFF that have contributed to better coastal governance in India Ocean region. The examples include the transboundary cooperation between Pakistan and Iran in Gawatar Bay, between India and Sri Lanka for in the Gulf of Mannar, and between Guangxi and Quang Ninh Provinces in China and Viet Nam. The paper also highlights the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially the Goal 14 and concepts like Blue Economy for sustainable ocean and coastal management in the light of the rapid development in maritime trade, race for exploration of the ocean bed for mineral resources, unsustainable exploitation of fish resources, and increasing pollution load to ocean waters from rapidly developing coastal urban growth in the Indian Ocean region.

Sustainable Fisheries Management in the Indian Ocean: The Way Forward

The Oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface and contains 97% of the planet’s water. This is the life support system of the earth. The Ocean is the main protein supplier for the humankind. The Indian Ocean is a warm water ocean and well regulated by monsoons and currents. Large number of rivers and tributaries flow into this ocean, making it rich with minerals, seaweeds and planktons, which sustain the fish stocks. Man-made pollution and climate change can be detrimental to the sustenance of a balanced marine eco-system. Further, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing combined with destructive fishing methods can deplete this valuable protein source. Issues and conflicts in delimitation of maritime boundaries and fishermen not respecting even internationally or bilaterally established maritime boundaries are impediments to effective fisheries management. The Indian Ocean is vast and the third largest ocean in the world. The population of the Indian Ocean is around 2.5 billion. However, we must be mindful of the need to have a sustainable ocean based economic model, that will not over exploit the finite fishery resources but will continue to provide the much-needed protein sources to this large population, not only at present times but even in the future. Non-management of fisheries by states and non-adherence to rule based maritime order by non-state actors engaged in fisheries could have ramifications on traditional and human security aspects for the region. Fishing boats and some fishermen could be involved with various maritime crime activities for monetary or ideological gains, and, depletion of fisheries resources due to overfishing can have a direct impact on human security of the Indian Ocean littorals, as the main livelihood and economic activities of the coastal populations are connected to the ocean based resources. There were many instances of the fishermen being exploited by terrorist groups. Hence the management of fisheries in a sustainable manner is important for the Indian Ocean, as the peaceful co-existence of the nations depends on the continued Blue Economic models where the fisheries is managed and harvested in a sustainable manner.

Beyond Seablindness: A New Agenda for Maritime Security Studies

This article examines the rise of maritime security in concept and practice. We argue that developments in the maritime arena have flown beneath the radar of much mainstream international relations and security studies scholarship, and that a new agenda for maritime security studies is required. In this article we outline the contours of such an agenda, with the intention of providing orientation and direction for future research. Our discussion is structured into three main sections, each of which outlines a core dimension of the maritime security problem space. We begin with a discussion of the issues and themes that comprise the maritime security agenda, including how it has been theorized in security studies to date. Our argument is that the marine environment needs to be understood as part of an interlinked security complex, which also incorporates strong connections between land and sea. Second, we examine the ways in which maritime security actors have responded to these challenges in practice, focusing on issues of maritime domain awareness, coordination of action, and operations in the field. Third, we turn to the mechanisms through which the new maritime security agenda is being disseminated to local actors through a processof devolved security governance. We focus particularly on efforts to distribute knowledge and skills to local actors through capacity building and security sector reform. In the conclusion, we outline the future challenges for maritime security studies that follow from these observations.

Sir Creek and its Legal and Political Significance and Resolution

The Sir Creek dispute remains a serious hurdle in the way of any meaningful progress on ties between Pakistan and India, but it also has huge potential to be resolved by recourse to international law and bilateral negotiations. In this respect, I will explore certain important historical, legal and political aspects of the Sir Creek dispute in order to betterinform future dialogue between the two states. Among otherthings, I will discuss the status of the law and its application to the dispute. With regards to Sir Creek, other considerations that will be examined include: the impetus for bothstates to adhereto the lawof the sea, the potential of international dispute resolution and the appropriate choice of procedure for settlement, the relevant weightageto be givento historical and special circumstances as well as the significance to relevant international legal proceedings on the dispute. The various factors relevant to the amicable settlement of such river boundary disputes will also be holistically examined.

The Arabian Sea – Marine Pollution Viz A Viz Existence and Implementation of International Preventative Laws

Tremendously increasing marine pollution is a global threat to the survival of humanity. The correlation between marine pollution and devastating impact on ecological systems and other spheres of environment havealreadybeenproven. Marine pollution is not a localized phenomenon and has its effects on a globalscale; this leads to formulatio n of certain international regulations mutually agreed bysignatory nations. However, in certain parts of the world, including the Indian Ocean, compliance withregulations is not observable. Unsolved partof the puzzle is; why marine pollution continues to exist notwithstanding the evidence that it is so very dangerous. To answer this question, economic, legal, political, scientific, social and technological factors need to be brought under consideration. This study serves a twofold purpose; firstly, it enquires into the deliberation on international law regarding marine pollution in this region; secondly, it identifies the quantity and quality of the mainsources ofmarine pollution in the Indian Ocean. An attempthas beenmade to identify mainsources ofmarine pollution in Indian Ocean followed by a chemical classification of pollutants and extrapolating their temporal impacts on bio-diversity of the region. Understanding ofpollutionsources thataffect Indian Oceanprovidebetter insight for planning and implementation of the necessary regime to prevent, reduce and control marine pollution in the Arabian Sea. Qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis performed in the region, using advanced analytical techniques to prevent, control and eliminate marine pollution viz-à-viz various conventions put in place in the region depict that strict compliance of the protocols is need of time to save the oceans fromgetting polluted beyond the limitof retrieval to original state.