Pakistan’s conspiracy to sideline China from CPEC

Pakistan’s evil designs to occupy Afghanistan and crush the Baloch, and America’s repeated mistake of trusting Pakistan

By Hafeez Hasanabadi

Even though China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) bears the names of China and Pakistan but in near future China will either be completely expelled from the project or its control and position will be limited to a mare partnership, because like rest of the world, Pakistan also doesn’t want China to take over Gwadar like the Zimbabwe and Sri Lankan ports in the name of being unable to repay the loans.

Previously, Malaysia cancelled the 27 billion dollars high speech train project to Singapore and the 20 billion Dollar Eastern Coast 688 Kilometre strip Railway link project connecting to West was also cancelled. Apparently, the excuse was that Malaysia would not benefit from these projects by China because China was importing all the machinery and labour for these projects from China. Hence, the money spent on these projects would go back to China.

Recently, two African nations Sierra Leone cancelled the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ project of 318 Million Dollar and Tanzania also cancelled 10 Billion Dollar projects under the same project because they realised that this is the worst form of colonialism under which China wants burry poor/underdeveloped nation under the burden of loans knowing too well that these countries cannot repay the loans so that they will have to gamble their freedom. Hence, they announced to distance themselves from these projects and save themselves from eternal slavery. There was the possibility that these Chinese projects could benefit them and provide temporary relief but they [above mentioned] countries refused these self-suicidal plans. Concerning this, a Washington based Think Tank ‘Centre for Global Development’ after a thorough analysis concluded that Maldives, Laos, Pakistan, Djibouti, Mongolia, Montenegro, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan would get buried under the Chinese Loan and it would be difficult for them to stand on their feet ever again.

The Pakistani authorities have also realised long ago that in the name of friendship, they are badly trapped under China’s Loans and partnership and if the Loan taking and ‘partnership’ continued with the same pace then no power in the world can save Pakistan from becoming a colony of China. But Pakistani rulers due to their immense internal and external, economic and political problems were not in a position to directly refuse China’s [Loans], on the other hand, because of their agreements with China about CPEC, the USA and other powers were not happy. Pakistan in its efforts to appease the US has taken two extreme steps to trap the US in its evil net. On one had it spread the rumours of Pak-Russia corridor, like CPEC, and claimed to get along with Russia and on the other hand, pressed America’s weakest point – Afghanistan – and increased terror attacks to bring in new powers. At present more than 20 active terrorist groups in Afghanistan are operating under direct payroll of ISI whereas Taliban and Daesh (ISIS) have their own groups and also groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad have their bases on Pak-Afghan border and they freely carry out attacks on that side of border [in Afghanistan] and come back to their safe haven in this side [Pakistan] without any deterrence. According to one survey, Lashkar-e-Taiba is 5th powerful terror group among other terror outfits in Afghanistan. Hence, Pakistan under its blackmailing tradition has scared America about the arrival of China and Russia in the region and at the same time increased terror attacks on US forces in Afghanistan.

In this marsh of uncertainty, America and its allies were contemplating new strategies to keep Afghanistan and the entire region in their control as Pakistan presented apparently an attractive plan under which Pakistan has agreed to expel China from Gwadar, the agreements with Russia will go ahead with the approval of the USA and Pakistan will get the Taliban to negotiate with the USA to give America a safe passage on their exit to Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, America despite its previous negative statements and distrust on Pakistan has got carried away by Pakistan’s blackmailing tricks. Hence, the USA’s tune started to soften, the Taliban become a political power instead of a terrorist group and US-Taliban dialogue started. America on its part to appease Pakistan has convinced Saudi Arab to invest in an oil refinery in Gwadar. The 1958 agreement between Pakistani president Iskander Mirza and Shah of Iran during the second Baloch resistance has also played a key role in convincing Saudi for investment in Gwadar. Under this agreement, Pakistan would not exploit Balochistan oil deposits on the ground and in Sea. (It was estimated equal six Trillion barrel) which would badly impact oil exploration companies of Iran and in return, Iran would also continue its politics and would support Pakistan diplomatically and militarily. In the past under this same agreement (1958), whenever the Baloch started their freedom movement, Iran helped Pakistan on all fronts. Currently, (even today) Iran supports Pakistan to crush the Baloch freedom struggle and supports all conspiracies to internally weaken the Baloch freedom movement.

It is possible that in the first phase Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will invest in Gwadar, in the second phase the US will also ask Qatar to invest in Gwadar despite its disagreements with Saudi and Emirates and in the third phase the United State will also join its allies in Gwadar investment scheme – their collective investment, according to initial information, will be between 50-60- billion dollar but by 2030 the year of CPEC’s completion their investment will reach to 110 -120 billion dollar whereas by that time China will have spent roughly 90-95 billion dollars.

Saudi Arabia has so far signed agreements of around 10 billion dollars and is in the process of buying 30-36 acre land on the coastal belt of Balochistan. Now that several Arab countries headed by the USA have agreed to invest in Gwadar that is why it is not difficult for Pakistan to formally invite Russia to join CPEC and advance with the idea of Pak-Russia Economics Corridor so that all powers are linked with CPEC in one way or the other and to get the sympathy of all powers against the Baloch national struggle for freedom. The Baloch nation at present consider CPEC and other such ‘development projects’ a threat to their existence and they are not hesitating from any sort of sacrifice and pay any price to thwart this threat.

Expelling China at the cost of Baloch and Afghans: Pakistan despite its negative attitude toward the US and suffering the worst economic crisis has succeeded in making a deal with America under which it will create difficulties for China’s CPEC.

The military dismissed Nawaz Sharif’s government to prove their seriousness because they feared that he will not agree with their conspiracies against this project (CPEC) and creates unnecessary hurdles for it. OR it would be difficult and take longer to make him understand and Pakistan was already running out of time because the dollars they were getting in return for their ‘golden bird’ – Balochistan and they did not want to lose it. The embezzlement of Chinese loans would force China to expel them from Gwadar and Balochistan. Hence, they could neither have Balochistan nor would Pakistan remain intact.

Due to internal conflict the pace of CPEC has slowed down and China-Pakistan relations went back to the cold storage because of this the Baltistan energy project was also put into cold storage and 171.6 million dollars were distributed to governing party Member of Parliament (MPs) and Member of National Assemblies (MNAs) under the ‘Prime Minister Development Schemes’ project this, however, was unacceptable for China. But, like Pakistan, China is also blackmailed as the agreements they signed with Pakistan military – let alone ordinary men even the parliament has no clue about them – certainly, the Pakistani rulers have got their share from those secret deals and the real owners of Balochistan, the Baloch nation, would get further furious and this could shake up the conscience of the international community as well.

China knows that the agreements it has signed with Pakistan and the way Pakistan adopted terrorism as state policy and got badly caught in it, that is why Pakistan cannot play any card for a longer period and even if it decreases its internal and external pressure and convinces the US to some extent but in the near future, Pakistani will break its promises with the USA and displeases it further. Hence, the addicted countries will once again put its head down to go back to China to beg for help. For the reasons above China is avoiding issuing and harsh statement against Pakistan despite involving others in CPEC, transferring CPEC fund to other departments, slow down in the pace of CPEC projects and huge irregularities in employments and student visas by Pakistani authorities which are causing a further sense of alienation of local people and instils deliberate hatred in the heart of local people.

As a result of its multidimensional fraud, Pakistan gained simultaneous relieve and it also helped to:
1. Defuse international pressure on Pakistan to some extent because of which Pakistan was facing the worst isolation.
2. Drone attack against its terrorist assets have stopped
3. Pakistan started to get loans from the IMF and other countries
4. Pakistan-backed Taliban have been recognised as a political power
5. US policy seems to have changed about Baloch liberation struggle and it proscribed BLA as a terrorist organisation
6. Most importantly, Pakistan will bring a caretaker Taliban government in Afghanistan of its own choice and completely bypass the Ashraf Ghani’s government which come in power with the blessing of USA.
A thorough observation shows that the US will gain nothing from this deal and Pakistan will be the only beneficiary even if these benefits are temporary.

However, the USA is leaving the Baloch and Afghans at the mercy of Pakistan and its allied terrorist groups on the false assurance of Pakistan that not only it will help provide a safe passage to the US for its exit from Afghanistan but it [Pakistan] will also protect US interest in Afghanistan. On the contrary, the fact, however, is that to loosen the Chinese grip in the region Pakistan will isolate the USA in this region and create numerous difficulties for it. Whether it abandoning the Afghans and US silence on Baloch genocide Pakistan – a time will come when America will be forced to repeat its narrative that ‘we have given billions of dollars to Pakistan and it strengthened terrorist groups with our money and prepared them against us and to butcher our people.’

The end word: The world powers including the US should not be under this flawed impression that Taliban will merge with common people and live a peaceful life and support a government as per wishes of Afghan people. They [Pakistan-backed Taliban] will not allow an Afghan lead Afghan government because of Pakistan. as its evil presence in Afghanistan is obvious not only in the shape of Taliban but numerous other shapes. Also, Pakistan is fighting a direct war in Afghanistan. Pakistan will continue and intensify this war until it completely occupies Afghanistan like Balochistan or Pakistan is broken into different pieces. The thought of a third option is an illusion and a misconception because there is no third option. Pakistan has once again tricked America to walk a dangerous one-way trek.