Col ® Muhammad Hanif
The CPEC, being built to connect the Kashgar city of China to Gwadar port of Pakistan, with China’s US $ 62 billion investment is a pilot project of the China’s B&R project. The CPEC comprises the construction of a network of energy projects, roads, railways, dry, air and sea ports, fibre optic based internet and communication facilities, industrial zones and cooperation in the modernization of industry and agriculture.
Whereas the CPEC is a symbol of Pakistan-China’s long term and ever growing friendship, it is also a source of developing people to people contacts between both countries. Moreover, the CPEC is meant to develop roads, railways and communication infrastructure in Pakistan, which is very essential for its economic development. Therefore, the development of the CPEC will facilitate Pakistan’s economic development by enhancing its economic growth and trade.
While the CPEC carries immense economic benefits for Pakistan, China, Russia, South Asia, Central Asian Republics (CARs), the Middle East, North Africa and other regions of the world being an economic-oriented project, it is facing veiled opposition by the regional spoiler forces to contain CPEC-related economic development of Pakistan. These forces are being encouraged by those forces, which are opposing the development of the B&R.
Obviously, the numerous investment and trade-related economic benefits of the CPEC will be available for Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, CARs, Iran, India and even Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. If these countries can mutually cooperate, they will be able to carry out speedy trade and investment using the CPEC, that will help in their economic development and keeping the daily use commodities available in their markets, thus keeping the prices within the reach of the poor people of these countries.
To mutually cooperate to draw full potential of the CPEC for their economic development and welfare of their people, the regional countries, especially, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, have to prefer geo-economics over the geo-politics, as the former is much more beneficial than the latter. For this purpose, it is important for Pakistan and India to resolve their issues, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute through dialogue and they should also facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue process to achieve an early peace in Afghanistan.
But, currently the regional countries, particularly India and the present Afghan government are working on advancing geo-politics rather than the geo-economics. For example, instead of starting a dialogue with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir dispute, Modi government in India, on 5 August 2019 divided the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOK) into two union territories in utter violation of the UNSC resolution 47, which grants the right of self determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Moreover, the Indian leaders have threatened Pakistan of attacking the Azad Jammu and Kashmir and capturing it. This means, India has the plans to grab the IOK forcefully and it has no programme to improve relations with Pakistan and join the CPEC. In this whole game plan, India seems to have been encouraged by being a partner of the US in its Indo-Pacific strategy and now being its close defence partner to contain China.
Despite that all neighbours of Afghanistan, including Russia and China want intra-Afghan dialogue to succeed, India and the current Afghan government seem to be working in coordination to delay/stall the dialogue, as while the present Afghan rulers want to perpetuate their rule, India wants an unstable Afghanistan to use its soil to sponsor terrorism in Pakistan’s Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Karachi, to disturb the construction of the CPEC, and create a two front war scenario for Pakistan. The US also wants intra-Afghan dialogue to succeed and it desires to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan as per its agreement signed with the Taliban on 29 February 2020.
In view of the above mentioned huge benefits of the CPEC to Pakistan, despite the efforts of the spoilers like India and its friends, Pakistan should remain steadfast in developing the CPEC as per the plan to complete it on time. In this regard, Pakistan should not be distracted by India and the US efforts to oppose the B&R project and the CPEC as part of their China containment strategy. This is because China’s policy of preferring geo-economics over geo-politics, its non hegemonic politics, and its policy of investing in the regional countries based on its concept of shared destinies will be more appealing to the regional countries than SA’s coercive policies and the development of the CPEC and B&R will get the popular support.
Moreover, to focus on economic development and making its people prosperous, China is not going to get into any war-like situation with the US or any other country for at least next 40 years. Therefore, while working to construct the CPEC, the least US pressure is expected as its anti-China policies will not get a wider acceptance in the world, because of China’s much tolerant policies. And, after 40 years Pakistan will be economically much stronger to withstand foreign pressures.
