Chinese workers stationed throughout Pakistan, especially in Balochistan, have said that they are concerned for their safety. They said that we frequently hear on the news media that our compatriots have been attacked and killed somewhere in the country which makes us anxious for our own safety. They said that the government of Pakistan has increased our security appreciably, but further measures are mandatory in order to ensure that we are safe while we stay here.
Speaking to the BBC Urdu, the Chinese workers said that we are trapped within the premises of our factory – we work and live here. They said that going outside has become harder for us due to security issues.
A factory worker who works alongside the Chinese nationals said that we are also facing a lot of security issues because of the Chinese workers. He said that the government has directed us to either arrange bulletproof vehicles for their transport or restrict their movement inside the factories.
A bus driver who transports the Chinese workers between Karachi and Hub Chowki said that arranging the food for the workers is also a great challenge.
Such concerns are not misplaced – the Chinese engineers and workers have been frequently targeted by Baloch “pro-independence” groups who claim that China is using the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to plunder the resources of Balochistan. They say that China is abetting Pakistan in the “subjugation, oppression and genocide” of the Baloch nation.
In August this year, the Baloch Liberation Army carried out a self-sacrificing attack on Chinese engineers in Gwadar, the epicentre of the CPEC, which resulted in several fatalities and injuries.
Since the inception of the CPEC in 2016, Baloch nationalists have vehemently opposed it. The Baloch armed groups have also carried out low-scale attacks on Chinese workers in Balochistan, but such attacks have increased since 2018. In August that year, a bus carrying Chinese engineers was attacked in Dalbandin. The Chinese consulate was also attacked in November of 2018. The Chinese-built Pearl Continental hotel was also struck in Gwadar in May 2019. Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for all these attacks and vowed that such attacks will continue in the future.