The recent attack on Chinese citizens at the Confucius Institute in the university of Karachi earlier this week has put pressure on Shehbaz Sharif’s government to address the Balochistan issue.
Sindhi and Baloch activists have expressed their anger towards the telecom companies working in that region while also protesting against projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
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They accuse the Chinese companies of not hiring local labour and supplying information to the Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Pakistan army who then quell the insurgency in a heavy-handed manner.
However, in the wake of the blasts, some Chinese nationals have started leaving Pakistan. Videos were shared by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters, who accused the so-called ‘imported’ government of Pakistan of siding with the enemy – the United States.
The recent developments, however, show that division within Pakistan has only grown larger. The PTI supporters believe that the US now calls the shots and China is increasingly wary after the recent attack on its citizens.
What is worrying is PTI’s insistence on keeping relations with China intact even if it comes at the cost of hurting the government in power. It also raises questions regarding the credibility of the opposition who is keen to let Beijing call the shots rather than Islamabad.
“China and Pakistan have the resolve and capability to cut the black hands of terrorists and make them pay the price,” Wang Wenbin, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by Global Times.
The Shehbaz Sharif government was quick to take action. The prime minister ahead of his Saudi Arabia visit rushed to the Chinese embassy and expressed his condolences. He assured that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
“The Pakistani government has promised to strengthen safety for Chinese nationals, projects and organisations. We will not allow any force to sabotage the great China-Pakistan friendship and cooperation. We believe Pakistan will take stronger measures to ensure smooth China-Pakistan cooperation,” China, with this statement, made it clear that for Pakistan to remain its ‘iron brother’ it has to iron out the terrorists inside Pakistan.
The Balochi insurgents have attacked Chinese installations and projects earlier as well and also kidnapped Chinese engineers last year. If indeed the Shehbaz Sharif-led government is keen to strengthen relations with Beijing, it will mean that the Baloch minority will suffer under this regime and China will help suppress their demands for greater autonomy.
Pakistan army and the ISI have hunted down Baloch rebels, activists and insurgents and are accused of killing innocent Balochis. The Balochis have hit back at Pakistan’s deep state and dented its image in front of its ‘iron ally’. Pakistan will hit out at the insurgents if it seeks to impress Beijing.
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