The article began relating events surrounding the Balochi insurgency in southwest Pakistan but as it progressed I realized it was an anti-China piece critical of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the larger Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The port of Gwadar has been an object of interest for some time and tangible evidence of the breakdown of US-Pakistani relations. India is also less than keen on the project.
Pakistan's electrical infrastructure is certainly lacking but I grew suspicious as the article suggested that the Suki Kinari hydro-plant has proven to be something of a disappointment. That's hardly a fair assessment as the plant doesn't officially open and become fully operational until November 2024.
As far as difficulties in Balochistan itself, there are two countries that immediately come to mind - nations that would have a reason to support the Balochi insurgents. The nations were already mentioned - India and the United States. Given that these groups also function across the border in the Balochistan region of Iran - that's all the more reason why Washington would offer support to them - as would Israel. But these ties are not easily proven. India has been openly accused by Pakistan but they too deny any connections.
I think it's telling that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) found a home in Afghanistan until the Taliban re-took the country in 2021. Follow the logic - the BLA was openly supported and hosted by the Afghan government, the same Afghan government that was entirely dependent on the United States. In other words, the United States (at least until 2021) supported them or at the very least was willing to look the other way. Remember these fighters attack not only Pakistanis but Chinese in Pakistan. And they have sought to thwart Chinese projects in the country related to the BRI. For example in 2018 the attacked the Chinese consulate in Karachi and just last year they killed several Chinese engineers working on the Gwadar project.
It's like if they didn't already exist, the CIA would want to create them. Just a few days ago, there was an attack on coal miners in Pakistani Balochistan. A few have raised the issue of timing as the SCO is scheduled to meet this week in Islamabad - a Sino-Russian led organisation the US views as a threat. While the US-Pakistani relationship is broken, the US is still very interested in Islamabad and its political turns. It's no coincidence that Imran Khan remains incarcerated and yet his support is growing and there are fears of a political firestorm.
I was curious about Dialogue Earth - the source of the story. Within a few minutes I had my answer - the CEO is an associate fellow at Chatham House, the primary think-tank within the British Establishment and thus a critical part of the larger Anglo-American hegemon, the G7 and even NATO. The story is interesting but take it with a grain of salt - there's a palpable agenda, every bit as biased as something you might read out of Beijing.
See also:
https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-miners-killed-b4302a6af4888c009212bea622f76679
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2022/10/khan-and-us-drones-in-pakistani-airspace.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-larger-context-of-china-india.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2016/09/western-media-india-strikes-and-new.html
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.