NCDA and CPEC-Authority are attempts by Pakistan military to directly control Balochistan’s coastal areas: Hyrbyair Marri

LONDON: Hyrbyair Marri, leader of the Free Balochistan Movement, said in a statement that formation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPEC Authority) by Pakistan is another step in turning Balochistan into a Chinese military garrison.

Pakistanis and Chinese have been calling it an economic project to hide its military and strategic aspects. He said that because of Balochistan’s socio-political conditions CPEC is not an economically viable project which is well understood even by Pakistan’s military and political elite.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan indicated in August 2019 that a new authority ‘National Coastal Development Authority’ formation was also approved and now Pakistan’s own parliamentarian parties are saying that formation of National Coastal Development Authority (NCDA) which will directly be controlled by Pakistani Punjabis (federal government) is in violation of Pakistan’s constitution. Marri said that on one hand Pakistan shed crocodile tears on Indian decision on Article 370 and the other hand violates its own constitution.

Hyrbyair Marri said that NCDA and CPEC-Authority are attempts by Pakistan’s military to directly control coastal areas of Balochistan where millions of Punjabi and Han Chinese people will be settled to secure their military bases and permanently colonise the areas by implementing demographic changes where secretly underground submarine bases and naval bases are being built.

Hyrbyair Marri said the Chinese Communist government can control coastal strip of Balochistan by cutting it from other Baloch areas. He said that for an economically viable plan it is necessary to have perfect socio-economic conditions which cannot develop in Balochistan until it is under Sunni Punjabi occupation, whereas it is possible to have military bases in coastal areas by cutting off the coastal areas from rest of Balochistan.

He said in such a scenario China could maintain bases in Balochistan’s coastal areas, in the same manner, Russia has been maintaining Kaliningrad in the heart of Eastern Europe. He said that Pakistan is turning Gwadar and other coastal areas of Balochistan into a Chinese Kaliningrad which already has the largest concentration of military cantonments and bases in the region and new bases are being built in Jiwani, Sonmiani and other areas.

He said that some Baloch political parties are under the illusion that they have succeeded in failing the CPEC project. They have deluded themselves and some Indian columnists in believing that the project has failed. Chinese imperialist communist designs cannot be defeated that easily. If CPEC succeeds, the Baloch nation will be converted into a minority in our own homeland. CPEC’s success will be the end of Balochistan’s independence movement and success of Balochistan’s national struggle will end the CPEC.

Hyrbyair Marri said that Chinese and Pakistani nexus in the region and their belligerence towards their neighbours are known to everyone. Once CPEC’s military objectives are achieved that is the construction of bases in Jiwani, Ormara and underground submarine base in Sonmiani, which will help China and Pakistan to encircle India by sea. He warned that geopolitically Baloch will be the first causality of the CPEC and then it will be India and the western countries.