Divya Delhi: After its October 2024 completion, Pakistan's Gwadar International Airport seems empty. China, Pakistan's closest ally and friend, provided $240 million for the airport's construction. The 4,000-passenger airport is now a "Ghost Airport" due to a lack of planes and passengers. Gwadar residents in Balochistan province do not prioritize it, according to AP. Journalists believe the airport was for Chinese access to Gwadar and Balochistan. China built the airport as part of its coveted China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which links western Xinjiang to the area. The study stated that the region had no clean water and used Iranian or solar electricity. The locals and Baloch said that the Pakistani government is denying them chances due to a decade of prejudice. Locals allege airport workers require identification. They say they used to roam freely as they pleased. Rising regional insurgency is perceived as dissent. A minister of the East Turkistan Government in exile criticized Pakistan's New Gwadar International Airport, sponsored by China, last month, raising questions about its genuine purpose. Salih Hudayar, the Foreign and Security Minister, wrote on X that the airport benefits China rather than Pakistan or Gwadar residents. He claimed China would turn Balochistan as a “strategic colony.” Hudayar's comments followed a Voice of America investigation on the airport's underutilization, finished in October 2024 with 240 million dollars in Chinese finance. Gwadar, a critical component of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is underdeveloped and local residents see few benefits.