Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Gwadar Port Authority to extend comprehensive support to Chinese companies operating in the region. This directive came during a meeting with a delegation from Hengeng Trading Company of China, led by Chairman Zhang Bin, in Islamabad on Tuesday.
The Pakistani premier emphasized the importance of uninterrupted utility services in the Gwadar Free Zone to facilitate Chinese investments. He highlighted Pakistan’s interest in leveraging China’s agricultural advancements and welcomed Chinese investors to the country. He noted the positive development of business-to-business agreements signed between Pakistani and Chinese companies, viewing them as a promising sign for future collaborations.
Chairman Zhang Bin informed the Pakistani premier that Hengeng Trading Company is investing in multiple sectors in Pakistan, including agriculture, livestock, and pharmaceuticals. The delegation revealed that the company is constructing a state-of-the-art slaughterhouse in Gwadar with a $50 million investment. This facility is expected to significantly boost Pakistan’s livestock sector by enabling exports worth $30 million annually and creating approximately one thousand jobs for local residents.
Furthermore, the delegation reported that Hengeng Trading Company is processing pharmaceuticals in the Gwadar Free Zone for export to China. This initiative is part of the company’s broader investment strategy to enhance various sectors within Pakistan.
While Pakistani government officials and their Chinese counterparts develop new investment plans for Gwadar in Islamabad, the local population of Balochistan, along with Baloch nationalist and ‘pro-independence’ groups, view these initiatives as blatant expansionism and ‘exploitation’ of Baloch land and resources. Baloch activists have consistently voiced their concerns over what they see as the ‘loot and plunder’ of their land and resources by the Pakistani government and foreign investors. These concerns are particularly directed towards Chinese investments in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Gwadar and the Canadian mining company Barrick Gold Corporation, which recently took over the development of the Reko Diq mine in Chaghi.
Baloch ‘pro-independence’ groups have conducted numerous attacks on Chinese and Pakistani interests in Gwadar and other regions. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), especially its Majeed Brigade, has been particularly active and lethal in targeting Chinese interests in the region. The Majeed Brigade, known for its self-sacrificial operations, has attacked Chinese officials, workers, and engineers in various parts of Balochistan and Karachi, vowing to resist what they term as Chinese ‘expansionism’ in Balochistan. The BLA’s ‘Operation Zarpahazag’, which aims to protect Baloch land and sea from foreign influences, includes these Majeed Brigade attacks and has resulted in the deaths of Chinese officials, posing significant challenges for both the Pakistani and Chinese governments.