Shahid Jameel
USA and its western allies are scared of the phenomenal economic progress of China and the military power that goes with it. The US and its western allies consider China as a potential threat to their commercial and strategic interests around the world and therefore are relentlessly engaged in covert and overt actions to pursue their ‘ contain china’ policy. They are trying to prop up India as a counterweight to China in South Asia. They are also cautious of growing economic and military ties between China and Pakistan. No wonder then that the US and India are deadly against CPEC and are doing everything possible to sabotage the project. CPEC is stuck down India’s gullet. It refuses to reconcile to the advent of CPEC because it knows that once the mega project is complete, Pakistan’s economy is likely to spiral upwards. Indian machinations have been aimed at destabilizing Pakistan to the extent that it gets subjugated. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, objected to Chinese President Xi Jinping that CPEC was passing through Gilgit Baltistan, which is disputed territory hence it should be scuttled. President Xi Jinping’s responded that CPEC is a commercial project and not a military or strategic one. Indian ominous plans to disrupt CPEC included launching a terror campaign in Balochistan, from where the project begins. Indian secret service RAW positioned its senior operative Indian Navy’s Commander Kulbhoshan Yadav to wreak havoc in Balochistan. Commander Kulbhoshan Yadav’s timely arrest from the Baloch border town of Chaman lifted the mantle of secrecy from Indian revulsion.
The western media is also trying to play on the religious sensitivities of Muslims, particularly the people of Pakistan, to paint China in miserable colors propagating that the Muslims in Xinjiang province were banned from fasting during month of Ramadan. It is quite intriguing to note that UK and Indian newspapers have recently come up with stories in this regard. The fact is that efforts of Chinese government to deal with terrorists elements in Xinjiang with an iron hand are misconstrued as oppression against the Ulghur Muslim minority and curbs on their religious freedom. Terrorists have no religion and China is fully justified in dealing with the phenomenon the way it deems necessary. In fact Pakistan supports Chinese actions in this regard and is working hand in hand with her to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from the region.
To counter Pakistan’s deep sea port of Gawadar, from where CPEC commences, Modi invested in Iran’s Chabahar Port and built a highway leading to Afghanistan. Modi’s aim was to convince the Central Asian States and coerce Afghanistan to transit their exports and imports via Chabahar, rather than Gawadar. Out of sheer spite against Pakistan, Afghanistan agreed to do so but the Central Asian States are reluctant to ditch Gawadar, so Iran has requested to be made a part of CPEC. CPEC, which terminates at China’s city of Kashgar, is a launching pad for China’s “OBOR” project, which has highways, railways, oil and gas pipelines and information networks fanning into Central Asian States and beyond to Europe. The OBOR project will transform the economies of the entire region. India wants to hurt its arch rival China as well as Pakistan thus Indian social media activists have become very active in spreading false propaganda against CPEC to hurt Pak-China economic activities and sabotage CPEC.
In a recent effort, a US writer showed his deep concerns while writing about opening of a military base by China in Gawadar on the lines of a similar “military base” in the horn of Africa, Djibouti. It says that the two sites when completed will provide Beijing with a strategic naval presence near the oil-rich Middle east shipping routes. While writing the article, the writer totally ignored “Camp Lemonnier”, a US naval base of the US Africa command situated at Djibouti which serves as one of US drone and surveillance bases. It is interesting to note that there is a long list of US military bases across the world. Major overseas US military bases are in Germany, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Bahamas, Indian Ocean, South Korea, Spain, Qatar, Turkey, UK, KSA, Australia along with many other small bases everywhere. On the contrary, China has established only one overseas military base in Dijouti mainly for logistics of naval ships being used in peacekeeping and humanitarian mission with no footprints of being offensive in nature at least till to-date.
Labeling a mega economic initiative of CPEC as a naval military base by the western and Indian media and other stakeholders is totally unmerited. CPEC, as the name indicates is a purely economic development and connectivity project for the betterment of the people in the region and beyond. It will obviously serve to modernize Pakistani infrastructure and strengthen its economy by the construction of modern transportation networks, numerous energy projects and special economic zones in addition to availability of a shorter route to China to foster its trade activities across the world. Since 2007, Pakistan has been hit by severe power outages due to mismanagement and improper planning for future power demands. CPEC has announced a solar power project which will generate 900MW electricity within a year’s time. New hydro power projects will generate approximately 800 MW of energy, and wind power plant projects are also under consideration, with feasibility study under way. This means that alternative energy will generate approximately 2000 MW, along with new coal fired projects, which will be able to make up for the shortfall.
Moreover, Gwadar port includes building of bulk storage oil tanks, oil refinery, establishment of petrochemical industries, ship repair yard, shrimp farming, vessel building yards, cold storages and ice factories, and recreational water sports activities. These kinds of industries and activities will further increase employment opportunities in the country, which will improve the economy and place Pakistan amongst one of the leading economic countries in the region. CPEC will play an important role in making Pakistan one of the most attractive transit trade routes in the world. This trade route, in future, can link central Asia via Afghanistan, and give the Central Asian countries an easier access of sea route to Far East and Australia. Hence, CPEC has a strong potential to revive the old Silk Road, with Pakistan being center stage in the entire revival process.
