CPEC resumption of all activities
Overview
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has recently resumed its activities, which were suspended since April 2022, after resumption of security challenges faced from Pakistan to China. Pakistan has done great efforts to counter terrorist activities in the region. The work has started in major projects under CPEC including main line 1 upgradation project which in considered one of the major projects of CPEC under Pakistan.
Why China Suspended all CPEC Activities?
The answer lies in the fact that a brazen attack in Karachi University of Pakistan made three Chinese teachers of the university shot dead. Beijing, the capital of China, was very annoyed due to the unexpected attack in Pakistan. Similarly, after this attack, China suspended all of its activities related to CPEC in Pakistan until the persecutors were nabbed and security issues in the region have been resolved.
Pakistan’s army chief general Qamar Javed Bajwa has recently visited China to resume good ties with China and requested to resume all the activities in the region. He made few agreements for future which are not cleared yet.
Terrorist Activities in the Region
The recent dismantling of a terrorist cell that had ties to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), on the other hand, has significantly melted the ice. According to reports, the operation was carried out in collaboration with a team of Chinese investigators who had travelled to this location and were assisting the Pakistani squad that was in charge of the investigation.
This peculiar structure is a reflection of the Chinese side’s lack of faith in the process. It would have been much more beneficial if there had been more clarity regarding the role that this team plays and whether or not we should expect similar arrangements in the future, as has been rumored in certain circles.
There is a Need of Transparency in Dealing with China
Whatever the case may be, it would appear that the Chinese authorities are, at least for the time being, content with the progress that has been made and would like to resume their work. It is now the responsibility of our administration and the security forces to ensure that there is not another incident that could put the relationship of goodwill between the two nations in jeopardy. However, there is also a need for greater transparency in our dealings with Beijing so that there is greater visibility of the progress that is being made under CPEC and how the project may affect the security of both foreigners working in Pakistan and Pakistanis living here. Specifically, this transparency is required so that there is greater visibility of the progress that is being made under CPEC.
Conclusion
It is highly unusual for so much to still be negotiated behind closed doors despite the fact that such a significant and life-altering project is being carried out on our territory. The bilateral relations between Pakistan and China are not the sole purview of just one department of the state, even though the terms of those relations continue to be negotiated by that department to the exclusion of all others.
