There are continuous attacks against Chinese working in Pakistan. Meanwhile, there is talk that China now wants to deploy its security forces in Pakistan. And it is pressuring Pakistan to approve it.
Last month, two Chinese engineers were killed in a bomb explosion at Karachi airport. Both engineers had returned to work after a vacation in Thailand. Reuters news agency cited sources as saying China is preparing to deploy security forces to protect engineers working in Pakistan.
Chinese engineers are working on many projects in Pakistan. The most important of them is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s dream project, the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’. This year many Chinese engineers working at CPEC have been attacked.
A Pakistani official told Reuters news agency that China wants to deploy its security forces here. For this, China has sent a written proposal to Pakistan. He said Pakistan has not yet accepted this. Pakistani security agencies are also against this proposal of China.
Why does China want this?
About 30,000 Chinese nationals work in Pakistan. Most of these people are working in CPEC. This three thousand kilometer long corridor begins in Kashgar in China and ends in Gwadar in Pakistan.
Gwadar falls in Balochistan. The Baloch allege that China and Pakistan are occupying their resources. This is the reason why the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is targeting the people and engineers working on this project.
The BLA has a long history of attacking Chinese workers. There have been bomb blasts outside the Chinese consulate in Karachi in 2018, the Gwadar Pearl Continental hotel in 2019, the Pakistan Stock Exchange in 2020 and the University of Karachi in 2022.
In August 2021, a convoy of Chinese workers was attacked in Gwadar, resulting in numerous injuries. In early July, a bus carrying Chinese workers was attacked in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing nine people.
The Baloch allege that despite being rich in resources, Balochistan is economically backward and they blame not only the government of Pakistan but also China for it.
In addition to the BLA, other terrorist organizations have also targeted the Chinese. In 2017, a Chinese couple was kidnapped and murdered in Quetta. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has also attacked many Chinese citizens.
Will Chinese Army be deployed in Pakistan?
China has been angered by these attacks. It has long been pressuring Pakistan to deploy its security forces for the safety of its citizens.
According to Reuters, a meeting was recently held in which Chinese officials presented evidence that Pakistan has not followed safety protocols for Chinese workers. There is a safety protocol for Chinese workers working in Pakistan, which both countries have agreed upon. When Chinese workers are working or traveling, they are provided with a high level of security. At the meeting, China claimed not to follow safety protocols twice in one month.
China is angry after the death of two Chinese engineers at Karachi airport. Chinese officials claim that a truck filled with 100kg of explosives remained floating outside the airport for about 40 minutes. It was not controlled and finally crashed into the car carrying the Chinese engineers. China considered this a serious security breach. Chinese officials also believe that information about the schedules of those Chinese engineers was received only from the “inside.”
China wants to deploy its own security forces to protect its workers. However, Pakistan’s security agencies are against it. Pakistani officials say Chinese security forces may be deployed around the Chinese embassy and consulates.
If the Chinese army is deployed, how big a concern will it be for India?
China has invested $62 billion in Pakistan for CPEC. This project started in 2015. A network of roads, railway lines, pipelines and optical cables is being built in this corridor.
China continually pressures Pakistan to give it permission to send its security forces. So far Pakistan has not approved it. But China is its unconditional friend and it is possible that, if not today, it will approve it tomorrow.
If Pakistan gives its approval, then the Chinese army will be deployed there. This will be a matter of concern for India. Because with this the Chinese army will also come to PoK, because many projects are also being worked on here. India will not tolerate the presence of any foreign army in PoK. The presence of the Chinese military in PoK will increase China’s interference near India’s northern borders. Because of this, there may be a danger of increased tension on the northern border between India and China in the future.
