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ECOCIDE: CPEC projects fuelling climate crisis

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is more sensitive to temperature increase than previously reckoned. The biggest challenge will be the emerging environmental issues due to the release of 36.5 million tons of Carbon Dioxide from the CPEC route. World Meteorological data reported increase of CO2 levels from 2020 to 2021 larger than the average annual growth rate over the last decade. The three road-corridors planned under CPEC would only add-on more CO2 emissions to the environment … writes Anasudhin Azeez

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a 3000 km infrastructure network project which connects China’s northwest Xinjiang Autonomous Region and Gwadar Port in the western province of Balochistan in Pakistan, has immense strategic value for China to access to the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea from Gwadar Port, allowing a complete dominance over the Indian Ocean region. However, its devastating impact on the environment should be of significant concern not only to Pakistan but also to other countries. Currently, Pakistan ranks 7th most vulnerable country on the Global Climate Risk Index. For this, a brief Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the micro-level needs to be carried out for mitigating long-term environmental damage to be caused by these large-scale projects under CPEC.

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is more sensitive to temperature increase than previously reckoned. The biggest challenge will be the emerging environmental issues due to releasing 36.5 million tons of Carbon Dioxide from the CPEC route. World Meteorological data reported an increase in CO2 levels from 2020 to 2021 larger than the average annual growth rate over the last decade. The three road corridors planned under CPEC would only add-on more CO2 emissions to the environment. Experts have pointed out that the impact of transport and infrastructure development would be the cause of cardiovascular diseases, bronchitis problems, and other health disorders in the population of Pakistan.

A bulk of the energy is planned to be produced by coal-fired power plants including, 660 MW at port Qasim, 660 MW at Sahiwal, and 300 MW at Gwadar. It will have a detrimental influence on glacier strength and severe flooding as we saw in Hasanabad city in Pakistan in May 2022.

The transport infrastructure development in Gilgit-Baltistan is leading to uncontrolled pollution and irreversible depletion of aquatic ecosystems, as this region holds large glaciers and water reserves. Global warming is evidently the main cause of the rise in global greenhouse gas emissions from human activities mainly due to deforestation, fossil-fuel burning, and land use.

Negative impacts on flora and fauna such as loss of habitat, species extension, less grass in pastures, more diseases in wild animals, pest attacks, and waterborne epidemics as it requires forest cutting are also foreseen. Apart from the above, experts also warn about other environmental impacts such as increased frequency and intensity of melting of glaciers, high turbidity in water bodies, heat waves, cold spells, droughts, cloud bursts, land sliding, water-borne epidemics, avalanches, heavy rainfalls, heavy snow falls, and lake-outburst floods due to the developments of CPEC road projects in Pakistan.

The long-term impacts of these mega projects need to be addressed on a priority basis as the destruction of traditional livelihoods, backyard dairy farms and small-scale fisheries are certain in Pakistan. In addition to that reports say that China is initiating work on mega-dams, oil and gas pipelines, and uranium and heavy metal extraction in this area.

Gradually, China has taken a geopolitical strategy by investing in Pakistani infrastructural growth to establish an economic corridor between China and Pakistan. According to the United Nations assessment of ozone depletion, the last eight years have been the warmest on record and the telltale signs and impacts of climate change have been dramatic with extreme heat waves, drought and devastating floods.

Transparency and accountability of the CPEC Project regarding energy, infrastructure, and transportation are the main aspects to be mulled over since these elements are important to accomplish environmental protection and sustainable development. This project is an essential component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the modern Silk Road project envisioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping, intended to create new production sites and trade routes to connect China better with the rest of the world. However, till the terms and conditions are not disclosed, one cannot predict the objective of the overall assessment and whether it could be potentially beneficial for the world or not!

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Economic crisis hampers CPEC progress

Beijing’s refusal to release the promised funds has affected the CPEC project implementation…reports Asian Lite News

The ongoing financial crisis in Pakistan and the economic slowdown in China appear to have had bearing on the progress of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) programme, reported Islam Khabar.

The CPEC project that was commenced a decade ago was held as a harbinger of prosperity for Pakistan. However, seven years later, many projects under the CPEC still remain non-starters while some of those being operational have become liabilities and are incurring losses. Not just it is causing delays but has made the megaproject struggle for funds, reported Islam Khabar.

Moreover, Beijing’s refusal to release the promised funds has affected the CPEC project implementation and at the same time, cash-strapped Pakistan is being compelled to repay Chinese loans procured so far.

CPEC was launched in 2013 and most of the conditions in the agreement remain vague or hidden from general public knowledge.

Barring a few power projects, the major CPEC projects remained on paper till 2020 when the much-touted infrastructure programmes saw cost escalation to around USD 62-65 billion.

Now, it is said the cost has increased further, thanks to the increase in the capital cost of the different projects under the CPEC. The recent developments suggest Beijing is losing interest and confidence in the CPEC, reported Islam Khabar.

This is going to be difficult for the Islamabad government as the CPEC would remain incomplete, become a huge liability, and send Pakistan into a debt trap.

Implementation of an important CPEC project, the Mainline1 (ML-I)-railway line between Karachi and Peshawar–has been asked to be shelved by the Chinese government over feasibility issues.

After China’s backout, Pakistan has decided to build it on its own since the 1,871-km ML-I is one of the major four railway lines in Pakistan, reported Islam Khabar.

However, the Islamabad government now will have to shell out a whopping USD 11-12 billion for the project. It was earlier pegged at USD 6.8 billion.

“If we don’t start the ML-I project immediately, the mainline of Pakistan Railways will likely collapse within one year,” said Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s Minister for Planning and Development.

Similarly, another crucial project, the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) also has been dropped off the list of CPEC projects. And Pakistan does not have the funds to construct it, reported Islam Khabar.

Pakistan Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said the project was not “doable” after China backed off. “Looking at our circumstances, I don’t see the KCR happening, really,” he said.

Moreover, China’s economic situation in 2022 has been the worst in the past five decades as the GDP growth remained below 3 per cent. Even though China may see economic recovery in 2023, it may not be able to extend financial support to Pakistan.

The progress of the CPEC projects getting slower as the financial support from China is shrinking.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is facing a double whammy of reduction in Chinese funds and inability to get new infra loans due to economic slowdown. At the same time, it is bound by repaying Chinese loans that account for 30 per cent of its total external debt. (ANI)

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Growing mistrust delays CPEC

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets Chinese President Xi Jinping.(photo:facebook.com/ShehbazSharif)

Aside from mistrust, the dearth of transparency and the Chinese tendency to shun locals have created resentment amongst the Pakistanis…reports Asian Lite News

The slow progress of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has reaffirmed the notion that increasing mistrust between the two countries is undermining the plan to build an economic corridor from Gwadar port on the Arabian coast to the north-western Chinese province of Xinjiang, Policy Research Group (POREG) reported.

Aside from mistrust, the dearth of transparency and the Chinese tendency to shun locals have created resentment amongst the Pakistanis, who are expressing their ire through street protests and violence targeted at the Chinese. The POREG report said Pakistan is not helping its cause either with its inability to clear dues worth USD 300 billion to Chinese companies engaged in CPEC power projects.

Given the dismal state of existing projects, no new CPEC projects were announced during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Beijing visit in November.

Besides the delay in the implementation of projects, the security of Chinese nationals remains another bone of contention. Moreover, this growing resentment in Pakistan is finding expression in the attacks on the Chinese and Chinese assets.

“The attacks are offering perfect cover to the Baloch nationalists to strike at will firstly to put the authorities on notice, and, secondly, to register their presence and their demands,” the POREG report added.

During Shehbaz’s China visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that he is “highly concerned” about the safety of Chinese people in Pakistan and hoped that Islamabad will provide a “safe environment” for Chinese institutions and personnel.

The POREG report also said a change in the Pakistani government further impacted the progress of CPEC. “Several projects planned under the CPEC have been affected due to opposition by local residents. The projects were further affected when some Chinese nationals were killed in Pakistan,” it sai.

According to POREG, the scrapping of the CPEC authority may not lead to the scrapping CPEC itself but it will have repercussions in the CEPC like ventures the Chinese are running Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, elsewhere in the world.

CPEC: China’s multi-billion project in limbo as Pakistan inches closer to the West.(photo:IN)

Concern over security of workers

A Chinese company has written to the Sindh government that its workers are being threatened by armed persons and has requested security for them, reported Pak vernacular media Intekhab Daily.

The company is working in Malir on upgrading the grid station and the transmission lines. The company complained that the armed persons are demanding money from them and their sub-contractors and threatening them with dire consequences. They have demanded fool-proof security, reported Intekhab Daily.

The law and order in Sindh are far from satisfactory. The conditions point out neglect at the administrative and law-keeping machinery’s end, reported Pahenji Akhbar.

The most dangerous part is people have lost faith in the police and law-keeping institutions.

It is for institutions now as to how they move about to regain peoples’ trust in them and to end the growing crime rate in Sindh. If not checked, lawlessness will only push Sindh backward by years, reported Pahenji Akhbar.

Notably, amid the growing concerns over the safety and security of Chinese nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, Pakistan and China had earlier agreed to use bullet-proof vehicles for all outdoor movement of Chinese workers.

“It has been decided that bullet-proof vehicles shall be used for all outdoor movements of the Chinese employed on projects,” said the draft minutes of the 11th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the CPEC, which Pakistan and China had exchanged, reported The Express Tribune.

Meanwhile, terrorists attacked a check post in South Waziristan, reported Jang.

According to police sources, more than 50 terrorists attacked the city police station Wana and Baghicha check post last night.

Sources said one of the terrorists was killed in the clash and police took custody of his body.

Police sources say that an official has also been injured in the attack. Sources also said that the terrorists escaped after police and FC retaliated, reported Jang.

The law and order situation in KP has gone south over the last few weeks as an increase has been noticed in threats and attacks on security forces and high-profile political personalities.

According to a report published in The News, the police are on high alert across the province after the recent spike in attacks in areas including Peshawar, southern districts, and the Mardan region.

The publication cited a source, “Apart from the police, senior politicians have complained of receiving threats. The houses of some of them have also come under grenade attack.”

The wave of terrorist attacks has risen across the province in the last few months, the report said. At least 118 terrorist incidents were reported in KP from mid-August till the last week of November, according to official numbers.

At least 26 policemen, 12 personnel of other law enforcement agencies and 17 civilians were killed in terror incidents across the KP. Moreover, 18 policemen, 10 civilians, and 37 law enforcement agencies personnel suffered injuries in these attacks, reported Geo News.

A dozen districts, including Peshawar, Mardan, Bajaur, Mohmand, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Kohat, Bannu, and Nowshera came under attack in November. (ANI)

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Pakistan seeks CPEC-style ties with Saudi

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Photo: Twitter@PakPMO)

On behalf of Pakistan, the minister also expressed the wish to establish CPEC-style economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan’s Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, said on Sunday that Pakistan has made a joint investment offer to China and Saudi Arabia based on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, according to a media report.

On behalf of Pakistan, the minister also expressed the wish to establish CPEC-style economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia, The News reported.

Speaking during a meeting with the Pakistani community at the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah, Iqbal said: “We want to establish CPEC-style economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia as well. Based on CPEC, a joint investment offer has been made to China and Saudi Arabia.”

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets Chinese President Xi Jinping.(photo:facebook.com/ShehbazSharif)

Ahsan also rejected rumours regarding Pakistan going towards a default and said: “News regarding the country defaulting are not true.”

A day earlier, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had also refuted all rumours related to the oil shortage and widening credit default swap, labelling them as “baseless speculation” being spread for a political agenda.

“There is no truth in the lies PTI has spread. [The government] saved the country from defaulting in six months,” he had said, The News reported.

Ahsan had slammed the PTI for putting Pakistan’s economy at risk during its tenure and said that the government reinitiated CPEC after the previous ruling party messed it up.

The minister added that Pakistan’s economy was at stake due to the previous government’s poor policies. The incumbent government improved the state of economy by adhering to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) policies.

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Pakistanis’ strong dissent against CPEC

Recently, a Chinese national was killed on Wednesday and two others were injured when an unidentified man opened fire inside a dental clinic in Karachi’s Saddar area….reports Asian Lite News

Ever since Beijing launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the repeated attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan’s Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region reveal the strong dissent of Pakistani nationals against Chinese interests.

Records suggest that in the last six years, especially after Chinese landed in hordes in Pakistan in connection with CPEC projects, different extremist groups have made Chinese interests targets of their attacks inside the country.

Recently, a Chinese national was killed on Wednesday and two others were injured when an unidentified man opened fire inside a dental clinic in Karachi’s Saddar area.

According to the Asian Lite publication, since 2016, when Beijing launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), this was the 10th attack on Chinese nationals and interests in Pakistan. In Karachi, this was the second attack on Chinese nationals since the Shehbaz Sharif government came into power.

In line with these attacks, on January 17, political activists and Pakistani nationals in Sindh province organised a massive rally and raise pro-freedom slogans while condemning China for exploiting their resources.

Last year in August, people burned tires, chanted slogans, and shut down Pakistan’s port city of Gwadar, protesting against China’s illegal fishing in nearby waters and the CPEC project which is a part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, stretching across 70 countries in the world, Asian Lite reported.

In July, nine Chinese workers were killed when a vehicle laden with explosives and driven by a suicide attacker rammed the bus in which they were travelling towards the Dasu Hydropower project in the Upper Kohistan area of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

China’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong escaped unhurt, yet five people were killed and 12 others injured when a suicide bomb attack was carried out at a luxury hotel in Pakistan’s Quetta in April 2021.

In July 2020, a huge protest erupted in Muzaffarabad of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir against China, condemning it for the illegal construction of Neelum Jhelum and Kohala Hydropower stations. The protestors highlighted the environmental impacts of dams constructed by China under the CPEC initiative, Asian Lite reported.

Earlier, on November 18, 2020, thousands of Pakistani labourers staged a protest against China in Karachi, complaining about unequal wages received by them as compared to Chinese workers involved in CPEC projects.

Earlier, the Chinese Consulate in Karachi was attacked by the Baloch Liberation Army in November 2018. It was the second attack on Chinese interests in that year after a bus carrying Chinese engineers was targeted by suicide bombers in Baluchistan’s Dalbandin city in August 2018. Three Chinese nationals were injured in that suicide bomb attack.

In 2017, an outfit called ‘Majeed Brigade’ attacked a five-star hotel in Gwadar when the Chinese delegation was busy planning for a port project. Eight people were killed in that attack, Asian Lite reported.

In the same year, a video on Twitter and other social media surfaced in which a purported member of the ‘Majeed Brigade’ is heard warning Chinese President Xi Jinping to “get out of Balochistan.”

Earlier in May 2017, the couple Li Zang Hing and Ming Leassi Ha were kidnapped from Quetta and were later killed. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for killing the Chinese couple who were said to be teachers at a language centre in Quetta, Asian Lite reported.

According to the International Forum for Right and Security (IFFRAS), CPEC was sold to the people of GB as a landmark project to uplift their lives and infrastructure, but it has in fact deepened their colonial subjugation.

More importantly, the implementation of the project constitutes an illegal encroachment on territory that is legally a part of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Currently, one consequence of the imperialist conquest of GB by China has been natural resource exploitation and infrastructural development by Chinese companies in GB, whose primary beneficiary has been the Pakistani military, reported IFFRAS.

This has come at a cost to local livelihood and environmental sustainability.

China’s economic expansionists programme aimed at conquering a key geographical location lying at the heart of Central Asia, India and China, i.e., Gilgit Baltistan (GB) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has led to several attacks on Chinese nationals.

Indications are clear that Pakistan has become a killing field for Chinese nationals and no amount of their security is foolproof as Beijing wants it to be.

However, China has never criticised the Pakistani government or its law enforcement agencies for their failure to stop the attacks on Chinese nationals. This is surprising for foreign watchers across the world, Asian Lite reported. (ANI)

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Pakistan, China mull extending CPEC to Afghanistan

“In the context of regional connectivity, both sides exchanged views on extension of CPEC to Afghanistan to promote economic development and prosperity,” the statement said…reports Asian Lite News

The senior officials of Pakistan and China discussed the possibility of extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan in order to promote economic development and prosperity in the war-ravaged country, local media reported.

The idea to extend the flagship programme of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was discussed during a meeting between China’s special envoy on Afghanistan Yue Xiaoyong and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood at the Foreign Office in Islamabad, The Express Tribune reported.

An official statement said the two sides exchanged views on the political and security situation in Afghanistan, humanitarian assistance by Pakistan and China to Afghanistan, and other matters of mutual interest.

“In the context of regional connectivity, both sides exchanged views on extension of CPEC to Afghanistan to promote economic development and prosperity,” read the statement, Express Tribune reported.

The foreign secretary underscored Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan. He highlighted the provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan including Pakistan’s relief efforts in the wake of devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan on June 22.

The foreign secretary also stressed the importance of de-freezing of Afghanistan’s foreign reserves and facilitation of banking operations to ease the economic hardships of the Afghan people and help build a sustainable economy.

The foreign secretary further underlined the importance for the Afghan side to address the international community’s expectations regarding inclusivity; respect for the rights of all Afghans, including girls’ education; and effective counter-terrorism measures.

He underscored that the international community’s focus should not be diverted from the dire situation in Afghanistan owing to events taking place elsewhere.

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China’s top trouble-shooter in Pakistan to ‘secure’ CPEC

According to Pakistani observers, “whatever demands and concerns Yang conveys and any commitments that he makes during his meetings here will be seen as coming directly from President Xi.”…writes MRITYUNJOY KUMAR JHA

Keeping pressure on the Pakistani government amid concerns about the security of its projects and citizens, China has sent its top trouble-shooter to Islamabad.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Central Committee on Foreign Affairs had a separate meeting with the Pakistani premier Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto and the Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday to allow the Chinese security forces to secure the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Pakistanis have so far rejected the Chinese request. Beijing is increasingly worried about the security of CPEC, which passes through restive Balochistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Several Chinese personnel have been killed by Baloch militants and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cadres including nine Chinese engineers working at the Dhasu power project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Yang, who is considered as the architect of Beijing’s 21st century foreign policy, is accompanied by China’s vice ministers for foreign affairs and commerce, vice chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and deputy secretary general of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

According to Pakistani observers, “whatever demands and concerns Yang conveys and any commitments that he makes during his meetings here will be seen as coming directly from President Xi.”

According to sources, Yang wanted to convey China’s concerns and “unhappiness” over the security provided by the Pakistani agencies. Consequently, he raised the Chinese proposal of setting up a nodal security agency in the country. But so far, the Pakistani government has been resisting the Chinese “proposal”.

“Pakistan has assured China’s most senior and influential diplomat on Wednesday that the Chinese investors in the country would be provided unwavering security arrangements,” said the Pakistani Foreign Office adding that the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to enhanced measures for safety, security and protection of the Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in the country.”

According to Pakistani media, the relation between “iron brothers” has been under heavy stress and it has become more evident when Yang conveyed his “unhappiness” to the Pakistani leadership about the lack of progress in the prosecution of people involved in the April 26 attack in which three Chinese teachers were killed in Karachi. And even after two months, neither the mastermind nor other major actors involved in the attack have been apprehended.

Chinese men start arming themselves at CPEC project sites in Pak

Yang has asked the Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto to push “hard” for Majeed Brigade of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army’s Fidayeen (suicide) unit, to be listed on the UNSC 1267 Terror Sanctions list. The group has been behind most of the attacks on Chinese.

Earlier, the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had promised to a Chinese security delegation last month that the Pakistan security agencies would set up a foreign security cell at the Central Police Office (CPO) with the requisite staff and logistics. As per the report, the Special Branch, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Security Division were assigned to audit the security arrangements periodically. The Pakistan Army had raised a special security division just to look after CPEC projects and Chinese workers. But the Chinese were not “impressed” because “mere words did not match by deeds”.

The Chinese are also concerned about the renewed threats coming from the TTP. On Wednesday the TTP boss Noor Wali Mehsud had blamed Pakistani security agencies for killing people on the behest of China in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions. The TTP chief admitted that his fighters have been targeting Chinese interests, including the attack on the Chinese ambassador in Quetta in April last year.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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IMF asks Pakistan to renegotiate CPEC deals

The IMF’s demand came after China’s refusal in the past to renegotiate the terms of agreements with the independent power producers (IPPs)….reports Asian Lite News

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked the Pakistan government to renegotiate the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) energy deals before making payments of around 300 billion PKR to the Chinese power plants, putting Islamabad in a tight spot.

The global lender has asked the government to treat the Chinese CPEC power plants at par with the power plants established under the 1994 and 2002 power policies, highly placed sources told The Express Tribune.

These plants had been set up under the CPEC framework agreement.

The IMF’s demand came after China’s refusal in the past to renegotiate the terms of agreements with the independent power producers (IPPs).

Sources told The Express Tribunethat the IMF suspected that the Chinese IPPs might have been overcharging Pakistan and there was a need to reopen these deals.

The Mohammad Ali report on the IPPs had identified overpayment of about 41 billion PKR to the Chinese IPPs.

Top officials in the Ministry of Finance confirmed to The Express Tribune that the IMF had raised the issue of payments to the Chinese IPPs with their willingness to renegotiate the deals.

When contacted, Esther Perez, IMF’s Resident Representative, emphasised the need for equitable treatment of all power sector stakeholders due to the limited fiscal space.

“An important principle underpinning these (power sector) reforms is that all stakeholders contribute in an equitable manner to reduce the circular debt, between the government, IPPs and consumers, while protecting the most vulnerable consumers,” said Perez

She said that Pakistani authorities should be cognizant of the limited fiscal space available to clear any outstanding arrears of the sector stakeholders, and thus there should be a trade-off between this and other government priorities, and the potential to unlock lower capacity payments for electricity as part of the aforementioned burden sharing across stakeholders.

Perez added that in order to contain circular debt in the power sector, the government of Pakistan had engaged efforts to reduce the cost of power generation as part of a broad power sector reform strategy, including in concluding renegotiations of the capacity payment terms with over 30 IPPs last year.

She added that a number of partners of Pakistan were supporting those reforms, including the World Bank and the IMF.

Finance Mnistry sources said that the global lender had also objected to giving 50 billion PKR to the Chinese IPPs in February this year without first renegotiating the agreements, The Express Tribune reported.

Due to the IMF’s objections, the government did not directly make payment of Rs50 billion to the Chinese IPPs last week.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced that the Chinese IPPs would be given Rs50 billion to ensure fuel supplies.

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Shehbaz wants China to include Karachi rail in CPEC

Shehbaz Sharif also visited Sindh CM House where he held a one-on-one meeting with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to discuss political, economic and several other issues of the province….reports Asian Lite News

Newly-elected Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said Pakistan would request China to include Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, media reports said.

Speaking to journalists, during his day-long visit to Karachi, he mentioned that earlier Chinese authorities had shown interest in KCR, however, due to political changes, things weren’t finalised, Geo News reported.

Shehbaz Sharif also visited Sindh CM House where he held a one-on-one meeting with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to discuss political, economic and several other issues of the province.

He assured Shah of the federal government’s support for the development and betterment of the province.

Terming Karachi’s drinking water issue the “biggest challenge”, the Premier said that he has requested CM Sindh and other relevant authorities to complete the programme — under which half capacity requirement will be fulfilled — by 2024 and directed him to ensure that full capacity requirement is met.

The new Prime Minister is paying his first visit to Karachi, where he was received by CM Sindh and other leaders.

Highlighting Orange Line, and Green Line projects, Shehbaz Sharif said he has asked Shah to bring air-conditioned buses to Karachi.

“I have suggested Shah to bring thousands of air-conditioned buses in a transparent manner while pre-qualifying transporters followed by a bidding,” he said, adding that transporters will then be allowed to take a loan from banks at minimal interest rates.

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‘CPEC to be opposed tooth and nail’

The mass sit-in December 2021 underlined the resource exploitation of Balochistan by China through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and indignities faced by the Baloch people due to CPEC security…writes RAHUL KUMAR

Baloch nationalists and armed groups have switched on a harsh spotlight on the poor security situation in Balochistan, which has taken a turn for the worse after the devastating attacks on Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC)-tasked with protecting the country’s borders.

Baloch armed groups with possible support from the Taliban and other groups in Afghanistan targeted FC headquarters in Balochistan’s Noshki and Panjgur districts, inflicting heavy casualties on Pakistani forces. The severity of the attacks brought Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Qamar Javed Bajwa-the chief of Pakistan’s armed forces, to Balochistan for a review of the situation and to boost the morale of their soldiers.

Earlier in December 2021, the Baloch people ignited a mass movement against socio-economic distress and lack of livelihood opportunities that haunt their community due to exclusionary activities by Pakistani governments. The mass sit-in also underlined the resource exploitation of Balochistan by China through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and indignities faced by the Baloch people due to CPEC security.

India Narrative spoke with Hakeem Baloch of the Baloch National Movement (BNM) for a quick overview of the situation in Balochistan. London-based Hakeem Baloch is the president of BNM UK zone, which is focused on Baloch independence from Pakistan through political and ideological activism.

Pashtuns in Balochistan in revolt against Islamabad as ethnic nationalism in Pakistan soars.(photo:IN)

Prime Minister Imran Khan has come back from China with an agreement on launching CPEC Phase-II. Will the Baloch community continue to oppose Chinese projects in Balochistan?

HB: Well, the CPEC’s development seems to be almost stopped on the ground. It is only lip service by the Pakistani Prime Minister to show that the CPEC projects are still continuing. The Baloch people are not against any development but they will also not allow the expansionist intentions of any outside forces to be continued in Balochistan. The Baloch are being deprived of their freedom and basic rights. Obviously there is and there will be a resistance of all kinds.

A high-level meeting headed by General Qamar Javed Bajwa-the chief of Pakistan’s armed forces, was held over the worrisome situation in Balochistan. What do you think was the outcome of this meeting and what will happen now?

This isn’t the first time that the Pakistani army has held such meetings over Balochistan. Such meetings always bring more brutalities, abduction torture killings of social and political activist and of common Baloch people. This is a long-standing genocide of Baloch people which has never gathered enough attention from the world.

Hakeem Baloch Pic credits IANS

Q: The attacks on Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) were unprecedented. Does it mean that the Baloch nationalists have changed their strategy?

The Baloch armed groups could respond way better to this question but as an observer and a political activist, what I can say is these attacks are taking place as a direct result of Pakistani brutalities in Balochistan. The Baloch armed groups have previously been warning the Pakistani State about such attacks if the State forces continue the occupation of Balochistan and if they continue the genocide of Baloch people. I think now the armed groups have decided to show the Pakistani State that those warnings were not just words but they were serious when those warnings were issued.

Can you tell us what exactly is happening in Noshki and Panjgur as the media is not being allowed to report from there.

Since the media is not allowed to visit Balochistan, rarely any news comes out from there. As far as I am aware, in just the last one week, over a dozen people have been abducted from different parts of Balochistan including a social media activist Malik Meeran from Panjgur and many others from Noshki and Panjgur.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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