Beijing denies protests in Gwadar are against China

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Chinese officials have denied that the ongoing protests of the Gwadar Ko Haq Do Tehreek (Give Rights to Gwadar Movement) are against China in any way. Beijing called it “fake news”, one that aims to smear the image of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and China’s image.

In a report carried by the CGTN, the Chinese state-owned media, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made comments regarding the Gwadar protests on Tuesday. According to the report, Lijian refuted the claims that the ongoing protests are against China in any way. “The report by certain media on anti-China protests in the Gwadar region is completely groundless. It has been verified that there are no Chinese trawlers harboring in the Gwadar Port or fishing in relevant waters”, he was quoted saying.

“I would like to reiterate that the Gwadar Port, a flagship project under CPEC, always focuses on development and is livelihood-oriented. The Chinese side upholds the principle of mutual respect and agreement through consultation in advancing relevant cooperation”, he said. “Beijing firmly opposed certain media outlets’ malicious attempt to smear CPEC and China-Pakistan relations by fabricating disinformation with subterfuge in violation of press ethics.”

China’s comments on the Gwadar protests appear to be a little misplaced – even though the protests are not primarily against China, they have an anti-China sentiment in them. The protestors have been chanting slogans against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying that the multi-billion dollar project will profit people thousands of miles away as the locals suffer for each gulp of clean drinking water.

Maulana Hidayat Ur Rehman, the leader of the “Gwadar Ko Haq Do” movement, has said that the government must agree to our demands. If they don’t comply, the protestors will block the main highways of the city, including the main arteries of the CPEC.

Baloch National Movement Chairman Khalil Baloch said in a recent media statement that the ongoing protests serve to expose Pakistan’s false claims of development in Gwadar. He said that the citizens of Gwadar understand that all these projects are aimed at benefiting the others as locals suffer for basic facilities of life. The people know that the state plans to force the locals to relocate and settle Chinese and Punjabi citizens in their place, he said.

He said that the locals of Gwadar have no access to clean drinking water; electricity is unreliable; the education system is abysmal and the healthcare system is dysfunctional and in disarray. The locals, who are living in Gwadar for the past several generations, are being harassed at security checkpoints for CNIC cards. The locals feel alien in their own land, he said.

It is pertinent to mention that Baloch nationalists and “pro-independence” leaders have been against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor from day one. They argue that the project aims to benefit China and Pakistan, but not the locals of Balochistan who are the heirs and owners of the land. They say that the locals are being scapegoated in China’s expansionist agendas. They say that Pakistan and China are trying to force the locals into relocating out of Gwadar so that Punjabis and Chinese citizens can be settled in their place.

Since the start of the CPEC project, Baloch “pro-independence” groups have been attacking the Chinese officials, engineers and nationals involved in the CPEC. The first major blow came in August 2018 when a young BLA fighter launched a suicide attack on a bus carrying Chinese citizens in Dalbandin, killing and wounding several Chinese nationals.

In November of the same year, BLA struck once again, this time in Karachi. Members of the Majeed Brigade – BLA’s elite unit that specializes in sacrificial attacks – attacked the Chinese consulate in Karachi. According to BLA, this attack was primarily aimed at drawing the world’s attention to the plight of the people of Balochistan.

In August 2021, the Baloch Liberation Army once again carried out an attack targeting the Chinese engineers working at the CPEC in Gwadar. Several engineers were killed in the attack.

The Baloch “pro-independence” groups have been carrying out sporadic attacks on Chinese nationals in Karachi and much of Balochistan.

SourceTBP

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