Gwadar is a city of over 250,000 people, many of them fisherman. And though Balochistan province is remote, its fate has been changed due to the port city. Before the arrival of CPEC, the locals mostly relied on fishing. There were few job opportunities and basic civic amenities were not available. There were hardly any schools, and hospitals were hundreds of miles away. But all that has changed. Gwadar is witnessing a steady transformation.

ZHANG BAOZHONG, CHAIRMAN CHINA OVERSEAS PORT HOLDING COMPANY "It was like a small village, which was completely forgotten by the world. But now you see only within 3 years, you have more choice in finding a hotel. The big hotels have 70 percent bookings every single day, and also many buildings and beautiful villas have been constructed like mushrooms. There is a lot of business activity that has started, so the local people are really benefiting from the development of the Gwadar port."

The GDA hospital, constructed in 2006, only became operational in 2016, with the help and assistance from China.

DR. SAIRA BATOOL GENERAL SURGEON OF GDA HOSPITAL "I think China is helping us a lot in building different institutions especially if we talk about our hospital. At the moment it is a 50 bedded hospital and we have signed an MoU with China to increase the infrastructure and building and facilities. So hopefully in future they will provide us with a better, more extensive hospital with all the facilities available over here and we are hopeful for that."

CPEC has brought several mega projects in the country, including energy and infrastructure development. And many believe the Gwadar port is rising to be one of Pakistan's commercial, financial and economic centers.