by Sara Nazir 1 September 2023
Balochistan, which shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan, is strategically significant due to its 770 km long shoreline with the Arabian Sea and its massive copper, zinc, and natural gas reserves. In acknowledgment of this fact, a number of construction projects are being carried out at Gwadar, a port city on Pakistan’s southwest coast, with help from Chinese technical expertise and government funding via China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Even as CPEC has significantly increased the opportunity for development and progress through Chinese investment and infrastructure projects, regional spoilers continue to propagate false information about the project to undermine the unprecedented socio-economic development. An unstable Balochistan is significantly important in providing an in-land operations base to regional spoilers- mainly India. Pakistan has proven time and again how India seeks to destabilize its sovereignty and territorial integrity through fueling and perhaps creating chaos in relatively remote Balochistan by extending proxy warfare into the region.
As a result, Baloch nationalists have been engaged in a low-level insurgency in the resource-rich but barely populated area of Balochistan for around 20 years. The separatists claim that they are fighting the federation’s unfair exploitation of the province’s resources, although the acts committed by one or more groups are rather narrowly aligned and do not represent the sentiments of the Baloch people as a whole.
Despite government’s attempts to mediate the issues voiced by Balochi people, armed group’s continue to attack critical locations to destabilize the region and disrupt trade and investment for their own anti-state objectives. The recruiting efforts of these pseudo-nationals are driven by fears of losing power and influence. A large portion of violence has been claimed to be in response to Chinese investments in the area, as China intends to construct a road and rail infrastructure linking its Xinjiang province to the Arabian Sea in Balochistan- a project only perceived as a threat by India. Despite ongoing separatist struggle in Balochistan, China has made significant investments in the province as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, including building the mega port of Gwadar. The so-called Baloch separatists who are behind these attacks have been compelled to believe that China is depriving Balochistan of its wealth and not giving the province a fair part of CPEC’s revenues. Their main targets have been security personnel, infrastructure, and natural gas installations. However, seeing that attacks on Pakistani Security Forces and assets could not impede Balochistan’s development, enemies of the state are sorting to deter China’s presence in Pakistan by attempting to harm Chinese citizens as well as financial interests so far without any real-time success.
It is no secret that India is sponsoring attacks on the site of Gwadar port and people associated with CPEC project and capture of Kalboshan Yadav is a living proof of India’s criminal conduct in Balochistan. Most recently, a militant attack was carried out on a convoy carrying Chinese nationals, creating hype in Indian media. It comes as no shock that India on its part tried to exaggerate the incident by repeatedly stating that the “attack on the Chinese convoy is a major setback for CPEC as it has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty” and claimed that “continued attacks on foreign nationals” depict security lapses in Pakistan.
On the other hand, China’s own foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, rejected Indian claims by stating that, “Any attempt to undermine the friendship between China and Pakistan and the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will never succeed.” The statement clearly sent a message to India that it not only failed to cause any read damage to Pakistan- China cooperation on ground but also failed to damage the morale of their close friendship. He further stated that “there is no causality on the Chinese side”.
Now, its only a matter of time that the CPEC project, through Balochistan province, would create new chances for growth and investment. While the provincial and federal administrations of Pakistan are concerned about the security situation in Balochistan, the majority of Baloch individuals are peaceful, law-abiding citizens who desire to coexist peacefully with other communities. Pakistan’s government on its part is striving to provide equal opportunity and all necessary assurances to the people of Balochistan. The selection of Baluchistan-born Pakistani senator Anwar ul Haque Kakar as the country’s new acting prime minister is the most recent evidence of government’s positive efforts. The selection of a PM from Baluchistan is an inspiring example of how the region’s citizens are receiving equal opportunity in government affairs. Moreover, when it comes to the security of foreign nationals and protection of foreign investments, Pakistani government and its armed forces always stand at front lines to protect them, and while India may achieve in creating disturbance in the region through isolated attempts motivated by terrorist’s agendas, it is well advised to understand the extent to which Pakistan is willing to go to protect its territorial integrity and national sovereignty.