A little-noticed item in the state-run People’s Daily on Feb. 24 contained some interesting nuggets that elucidate the long-running friendship between communist China and Pakistan.
The article quoted Babar Amin, a former Pakistani ambassador of Norway, as stating that the “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) aligns naturally with the goals of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for regional connectivity and trade promotion.”
While that statement was unremarkable, the diplomat noted that Pakistan “seeks to enhance non-traditional security cooperation through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure mechanism within the SCO, fostering collaboration on defense and security matters.” Therein lies the tale, as one man’s anti-terrorism is another man’s genocide, and both countries have longstanding “problems” with indigenous minorities.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Pakistan was the first Muslim country to recognize communist China in 1950, with diplomatic relations commencing in 1951. This was a diplomatic coup at the time for Beijing, as Mao Zedong’s communists worked hard at being declared the legitimate government of China despite their seizure of power by the bayonet, not through the ballot box in 1949. That a Muslim country would recognize the godless communist regime is another peculiarity of history and a story for another day, especially since fellow Muslim Uyghurs continue to endure cultural genocide at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
CPEC aims to develop and modernize the transportation infrastructure needed to accelerate trade between the two countries, with an emphasis on improving Pakistan’s electrical distribution and transportation networks.
The benefits to China are substantial, including a significant reduction in the time and cost needed to transport Middle East energy supplies to China and the reverse transport of finished Chinese goods to markets in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. China is also keen to exploit Baluchistan’s estimated $1 trillion in gold, copper, oil, coal, and natural gas reserves.
Baluchistan
Baluchistan (also known as “Balochistan”) is the largest of the four provinces of Pakistan, comprising 44 percent of the country’s total land mass. Rich in natural resources like natural gas, oil, coal, copper, sulfur, fluoride, and gold, this is the least developed province in Pakistan. Ethnic Baluchis inhabit Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, and like many countries in the region, ethnicity (“bloodline”) frequently trumps nationality, politics, and arbitrary boundaries drawn on maps. Arbitrary borders beget ethnic conflict. This is one by-product of the colonial era in Asia and Africa.There have been insurgencies in this area for several hundred years due to a variety of issues, for example, under-development and “economic inequality,” education shortfalls (believed by Baluchis to be purposeful by the Punjabi majority government in Islamabad), lack of suitable and equitable representation in the national government, and separatist objectives for a “Greater Baluchistan.”
Concluding Thoughts
While Baluchi separatists have long pursued an independent Baluchistan through an ongoing insurgent campaign, the Chinese presence in Baluchistan associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative has been a lightning rod for attacks in recent years. Insurgent attacks by Baluchi separatist groups are unlikely to abate as the Chinese presence in Gwadar province grows over time. There will almost certainly be more of them as Baluchi resentment grows.What measures might Pakistan and China implement to deal with their “problem”? Pakistan and China have a 74-year history of economic, military, and diplomatic cooperation and share similar experiences with indigenous populations who are yearning for independence and who have suffered the harsh consequences of taking matters into their own hands. It is convenient for both governments to label their actions against Baluchis and Uyghurs (and others) as “anti-terrorism.” The likelihood that either government will publicly condemn the other’s actions against minority groups is nil.
No wonder former Pakistani Ambassador Babar Amin made common cause with China’s “Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure mechanism” associated with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The question is, what did he mean by the phrase “non-traditional security cooperation”? Could it be a hint at the use of unconventional methods that are against the Geneva Convention? The communist Chinese could teach graduate courses on the use of reeducation camps and other unlawful methods.
