India, April 22 -- Gwadar Port is facing twin threats from two directions simultaneously, and neither shows signs of easing. From the northeast, active armed conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan - triggered when Islamabad launched cross-border military operations in late February - continues to block the land corridors that are supposed to give Gwadar its economic purpose. From the southwest, a maritime attack on April 12 confirmed what security planners had long feared: that the sea lanes around the port are no longer beyond the reach of Baloch insurgents.

Three Pakistan Coast Guard personnel were killed near Jiwani - a coastal town approximately 84 kilometres from Gwadar port - when gunmen opened fire on their patrol vessel in the...