China's role in Balochistan is imperliastic

Balochistan houses China's 46 billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure project

With another attack in Quetta, Balochistan, worries for China have only shot up. There have been a series of attacks in Quetta in recent months and China had said that it is confident that the Pakistan military is in control.

The Balochistan region is crucial for China. It houses the China's ambitious 46 billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure project linking its western province of Xinjiang to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan.

China had only last month raised concerns about the security of its workers involved in the $46 billion economic corridor passing through Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province after a Baloch leader warned of attacks targeting the project.

China's role is imperialistic

In the year 2004, the Balochistan Liberation Front led by Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, had claimed responsibility for the attacks on the Chinese engineers at Gwadar. Dr Nazar had told OneIndia that China's role in Balochistan is imperialistic.

"It is supporting Pakistan militarily and financially to crush the Baloch freedom movement. Now a huge Chinese army unit is present in Gwadar. Pakistan has allotted three thousand acre land to China in Gwadar. So Baloch nation considers China a partner of the occupier. Baloch nation will resist both," he said.

He further states that China is present in Balochistan with a number of Chinese army personnel, who are directly involved in Baloch genocide. "It is a threat not only to Baloch but for the entire region as well as India. Now China is demanding new legislation from Pakistan. Pakistan is ready to give it all to China as part of dirty its game, constitutional protection," Dr Nazar also said.

China raises concern

Recently a report stated that in recent months China is increasingly getting worried about the safety of its workers involved in the project even though Pakistan is forming a new security force providing two security men to every Chinese worker.

A Chinese worker was wounded in a bomb attack in May this year. For the first time, Chinese official media said in September that Beijing is concerned over "increasing cost of security" and the "potential setbacks" to the project.

In an article on Sept 13, state-run Global Times said the project is unlikely to have a "plain sailing". "China may not want to put too much focus on the region. At the very least, it would be unwise to put all its eggs in one basket," it said, highlighting for the first time China's increasing disquiet over the project which also also cast a major shadow over India-China relations.

OneIndia News