IT seems that the regional geopolitics is once again gaining momentum starting another round of 5th generation hybrid media war against Pakistan-China friendship, CPEC, BRI and Gwadar sea & and Air ports alike through comments of pseudo intellectuals, paid columnists, sponsored economists, puppetry journalists and compromised advocators in the region.
The sequences of anti-CPEC untrue media statements, false commentaries and unnamed fake reports published first in India on “Mathrubhumi.com” titled Gwadar gamble: will China’s port link Pakistan, boost India written by Girish Linganna on January 14, 2025. The Eurasia Review published a new article titled “Pakistan’s Gwadar Port: ‘White Elephant’ written by Partial RC published on January 21, 2025. A retired Infantry officer of the Indian Army, Dawn and last but not the least, the Guardian titled “What went wrong with ‘Pakistan’s Dubai’? inside the Chinese initiative that is prompting terror attacks” propagated against Pak-Sino friendship, CPEC, Gwadar Sea and Air ports terming it “White Elephant”, “Dead Horse” “Debt Trap”, “un-operational” and “unproductive” thus it has Indian conspiratorial schemes, sponsorship and colours.
Additionally, it has also a direct link to the Interior Minister’s recent visit to the USA and so-called participation in anti-China organization which Pakistan Foreign Office has strongly rejected and refuted by issuing a statement. Ultimately, the new hybrid media war has been started from Gwadar to Guardian and Asia to Eurasia trying to pollute the strategic significance of CPEC jewel i.e. Gwadar Sea & Air ports in the country. Gwadar, with its Chinese-sponsored airport, deep-water port and proposed economic zone, has been dubbed as a jewel in the crown of the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC), under which China pledged to build around US$62bn of infrastructure “megaprojects” spanning airports, highways, railways, ports and power plants for Pakistan.
The Guardian unnamed story is the brainchild of the Indian lobby crafted false, fake, fabricated facts by mentioning the name of Wang Shengjie a senior Chinese diplomat in Islamabad and tagging prestigious Pakistan Observer. Wang is a seasoned professional who neither approached the authorities of Guardian nor uttered a single word about CPEC derailing in the country, especially in Gwadar. His included statement about safety, security of the Chinese nationals residing and working on the CPEC Project in the country and long delays in the execution of CPEC projects concerns of the Chinese private companies in the country is totally out of the context.
Moreover, the Daily English Newspaper “Pakistan Observer” is the die-hard supporter of China, CPEC, and BRI and always prioritizes core interests of China in its daily features, reports, articles and special editions vividly reflecting its unconditional love and passion towards Pak-Sino friendship and its deceitful tagging by the Guardian is the demise of journalism and professionalism. The high claims of the Guardian, Eurasia and many media outlets of India about so-called Chinese military base in Gwadar Sea & Air ports is clearly demonstrating Indian Navy strategic expansion in the Indian Ocean forming new hegemonic “String Pearls” disturbing regional peace, stability and harmony strangle China and Pakistan.
Gwadar Sea Port lies at the crossroads of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, making it a vital point for trade and energy routes. It is built to connect Gwadar with Xinjiang, the Uyghur Autonomous Region, through a network of highways, railways and pipelines. The port is a key part of the CPEC aimed at improving connectivity between Pakistan and China. Gwadar has the potential to serve as a major transhipment hub and facilitate trade for Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia. It is the lie of the century that Gwadar Sea & Air ports are instruments of debt trap diplomacy theory suggesting China intentionally offers unsustainable loans to gain strategic leverage which is absolutely untrue and unrealistic.
On its part, the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad has strongly rebutted high claims made in a recent article published by The Guardian. The embassy spokesperson strongly rejected the article’s alleged quotation of a Chinese diplomat as “completely untrue” and lacking credibility. The statement criticized the article’s grandiloquence and claimed the unnamed report failed to demonstrate a basic understanding of China’s position. The spokesperson further condemned the said report’s unilateral fabrication of information without prior consent for an interview, describing it as a violation of journalistic ethics and respect for mutual understanding.
The Chinese embassy numerous projects of social development, community development, women empowerment, clean drinking water, girl education, technical education, poverty reduction and new job generation and medication throughout Balochistan especially in Gwadar all highly speak out China’s role in uplifting of common people in the province. Thus China is the real champion of development, respect for humanity, service clearly following Xi’s global shared prosperity, global initiatives of development, security and civilizational. Moreover, the Chinese embassy has highlighted a series of significant contributions and achievements in Balochistan over the past year, showcasing its commitment to the region’s development. During 2024, China provided US$100,000 in emergency cash assistance for disaster relief. It delivered 10,000 solar lighting equipment sets for distribution across the region.
It completed the Gwadar China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital and Gwadar Desalination Plant. It arranged a media delegation from Balochistan to visit China, followed by the distribution of 20,000 health kits in August. The construction of the new Gwadar International Airport was successfully completed. November marked the facilitation of visits to China for delegations from Gwadar, while December concluded with the recognition and awarding of outstanding Pakistani staff involved in the CPEC project, including those based in Balochistan. These initiatives underscore China’s ongoing dedication to the development and prosperity of Balochistan. The spokesperson also announced the upcoming distribution of “Chinese Ambassador Scholarships” to students from Balochistan University, Sardar Bahadur Khan University, and Gwadar University.
In summary, the Chinese government and its private companies completed many mega projects in Gwadar and Balochistan and changed the miseries into opportunities and crises into smiles and transformed the lives of common people of the province. The first flight from Gwadar International Airport to Muscat has achieved a significant milestone further enhancing regional connectivity, fostering economic growth and advancing global trade routes. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rightly termed the inauguration of the Gwadar International Airport as a game changer and a key project of the CPEC developing the economy of Balochistan also contributing positively to the overall economic landscape of the country. Hopefully, “Gwadar Airport could bring immense benefits to the people of Balochistan as well as the whole country if run on commercial lines. It is built with the help of a US$230 million grant from China. The author suggests that formation of Corridor of Knowledge consisting of experts of social marketing, applied economics, Sinologists, IR, Political Sciences and media is the need of the hour negating the false, fake and fabricated propaganda of the western forces. The 5th generation hybrid war against Pak-Sino, CPEC and BRI needs a holistic and comprehensive policy response.
