A powerful bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Serena Hotel in Quetta on Wednesday night, killing at least five people and wounding 12 others. Quetta is the capital of the province of Balochistan, near the Afghan border.
Over the years, the northern areas of Balochistan have been disturbed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, who found refuge there following Pakistani military operations in the former FATA. These militants have also targeted law enforcement and state installations in northern Balochistan.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a catalyst to an economic revolution in Pakistan and an engine to propel shared regional economic prosperity. However, unfortunately, this envisaged economic bonanza is an eyesore for some countries. Let’s have a look into why some countries want to sabotage CPEC.
Interior Minister remarks
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said that the bomb blast at Quetta’s Serena Hotel a day earlier was a suicide attack with its real objective being to “disrupt peace in Pakistan”.
Rashid said the attack was carried out by “forces which opposed the country’s development and wanted to undo the stability gained by the PTI government”, as well as disrupt Quetta’s peaceful environment.
He said Gwadar and Balochistan were important for Pakistan’s progress, terming Gwadar the “future” of the country. “They cannot bear Pakistan growing and prospering,” he added.
Responding to a question today, Rashid said the Chinese ambassador was currently present in Balochistan and was safe. “There will be no chaos, we are safe,” he stressed.
CPEC – the game changer
Characterization of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a game-changer, an epoch-making step towards eternal strategic partnership between China and Pakistan is beyond reproach.
For a resource-constrained Pakistan, direct foreign investment initially was $46 billion and swelled to $62 billion as of 2020 in the projects under the umbrella of CPEC. For China also, the CPEC is a pivot of its strategy to revive the old Silk Route and gain easy access to the Arabian Sea.
But unfortunately, this game-changer is an eyesore for some countries, including India. Strenuous efforts are being made to sabotage its implementation. India never lets go of any opportunity to harm Pakistan’s interests and has unleashed a sustained campaign to malign it, as revealed by the EU Disinfo Lab recently.
It has not only failed to respond to positive overtures by Pakistan for beginning a new chapter of amity between the two countries and peaceful resolution of the disputes between them, but it continues on the path of confrontation wedded to undermining the interests of Pakistan by all means.
Irrefutable evidence
Earlier in November 2020, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and DG ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar categorically stated that India was sabotaging the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and is supporting terrorism in Pakistan.
The country’s top diplomat and the military spokesperson presented a dossier detailing India’s involvement in terror attacks in Pakistan during the media conference. Multiple video clips and audio clips, along with documents, were presented during the media conference of Indian handlers and terrorists communicating with each other and Indian intelligence handlers passing on instructions to terrorists in Pakistan.
According to details, a special desk has been created in RAW to undermine and thwart the implementation of the CPEC. RAW has been backing and sponsoring insurgency in Balochistan and cross-border terrorism using Afghan territory. RAW has established sanctuaries and training camps for terrorists on Afghan soil.
Final words
It is pertinent to point out that both Pakistan and China have repeatedly asked India to join CPEC and play its role in the shared economic prosperity of the region. It is indeed a pity that the Indian leadership has failed to comprehend the benefits of CPEC to the region, including India itself, and instead is pursuing a policy to sabotage it.
China is now unstoppable. It is therefore in India’s own long-term interest to abandon its hostile posture towards Pakistan as well as its attempts to sabotage CPEC.
