Can Pakistan secure Chinese investments in the troubled province of Balochistan?
Prime Minister Imran Khan said last week that he was considering talking to the insurgents in Balochistan province, adding that the countrys western province could only progress if there was peace in the region. If development work had been done in the province, we would never have had to worry about the insurgents, he said. Khan made the comments during his visit to the city of Gwadar in Balochistan, which is at the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multibillion-dollar project linked to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of Beijing. Balochistan remains the poorest and least populated province in Pakistan despite several development projects that Islamabad has launched there in the past. Rebel groups have waged a separatist insurgency in the province for decades, complaining that the central government in Islamabad and the wealthier province of Punjab are unfairly exploiting their resources. Islamabad responded to the insurgency by launching a military operation in the province in 2005. In 2015, China announced an economic project in Pakistan worth more than $ 50 billion ($ 42.3 billion), of which Balochistan is an integral part. With the CPEC, Beijing aims to expand its influence in Pakistan and across Central and South Asia in order to counter American and Indian influence. The CPEC would link the southern Pakistani port of Gwadar (626 kilometers, 389 miles west of Karachi) in Balochistan on the Arabian Sea to the western region of Xinjiang in China. It also includes plans to create road, rail and oil links to improve connectivity between China and the Middle East. A good hit  Dr Talat A Wizarat, an international relations expert in Karachi, praised Khans shift in approach to Baluch separatists and said the offer could herald an era of prosperity in Balochistan. This is a good move. Peace in Balochistan would attract more Chinese investment there, she told DW. Islamabad-based analyst Dr Salma Malik believes the prime minister should have contacted the separatists much sooner. The offer is quite late, but remains a welcome decision, she said. Baluch separatists, both activists and political groups, oppose Chinas growing involvement in the province. They also believe Khans offer to negotiate is insincere and is simply aimed at securing Chinas plans in the troubled province. Yasmin Lehri, a former lawmaker, said China was concerned about the security situation in Balochistan. Beijing has various development projects in several parts of the world, but nowhere does it face as many threats as in Pakistani province, she told DW. Chinas concerns are one of the main factors behind Islamabads turn against Baloch separatists, observers say. Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan, an analyst based in Karachi, agrees with Lehris assessment. China wants to secure its investment in Balochistan, and Prime Minister Khans government is under pressure from Beijing to deal with the situation, he said, adding that Islamabad had no choice but to allay Chinese concerns. Anger against China  Jan Muhammad Buledi, former spokesperson for the provincial government of Balochistan, said several Chinese projects in Balochistan face security threats. Buledi says there is a lot of anger against China in Balochistan, and locals believe the port of Gwadar and other CPEC-related projects have not benefited them. Qaiser Bengali, a leading Pakistani economist, agrees: The Baloch people rightly believe that these agreements and the Chinese plans have done them nothing. China takes 91% of the revenue from the port of Gwadar, while the rest goes to the Pakistani federal government. The people of Gwadar do not even have access to drinking water, he added. The expert added that there are residential complexes in Gwadar which are reserved only for the Chinese people. Even elected members of the assembly in Balochistan are not allowed to enter these facilities, he said. The inhabitants have few political means to express their anger. On the other hand, the armed insurgents have vowed to harm Chinese interests not only in the province, but across the country. In August 2018, a suicide bomber targeted a bus carrying Chinese engineers in Dalbadin, Balcohistan, injuring five people, including three Chinese nationals. In November 2018, a group of Baluch insurgents claimed responsibility for an attack on the Chinese consulate in the southern city of Karachi, killing four. In May 2019, separatists attacked the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar, killing five people and injuring six. In June 2020, armed separatists raided the Pakistan stock exchange, where three Chinese companies hold 40% of the shares. In addition to attacking Chinese interests, the Baloch insurgents also regularly target Pakistani security forces, political rivals, moderate Baloch politicians and non-Baloch workers, who are working on Chinese development projects or led by Islamabad. Why Pakistan needs Chinese investment  Supporters of Chinas economic investment argue that Pakistan needs foreign investment, and the communist country has proven to be a reliable partner so far. Anti-Pakistani elements are making false claims against China. We are giving them contracts because they deliver. Chinese investment will help the Pakistani economy, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Balochistan will benefit. also, Ashfaq Hassan, member of Prime Minister Khans Economic Council, told DW. Prominent Pakistani businessmen say Chinese investments have created thousands of jobs in the country and tens of thousands of people have benefited from subsidiary projects. Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.dw.com/en/can-pakistan-secure-chinese-investment-in-restive-balochistan-province/a-58262975 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article  What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online  LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. 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