Published 23:11 IST, October 15th 2019
CPEC to turn Balochistan into Chinese military garrison: Baloch leader
Hyrbyair Marri said CPEC to turn Balochistan into a Chinese military garrison. He added that success of CPEC will be a threat to India and Balochistan.
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Leader of the Free Balochistan Movement, Hyrbyair Marri in London on October 15 said that the formation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPEC Authority) by Pakistan is another step in turning Balochistan into a Chinese military garrison. The Baloch leader further said in a statement that CPEC is not an economically viable project because of Balochistan's socio-political conditions and this is well understood even by Pakistan's military and political elite. This is the reason why they have been calling it an economic project to hide its military and strategic aspects, he stated. In August 2019, Imran Khan announced the 'National Coastal Development Authority' formation which will now be controlled by Pakistani Punjabis and this is in violation of Pakistan's constitution, he added.
"On one hand Pakistan shed crocodile tears on India's decision on Article 370 and on the other hand, it violates its own constitution," Marri said.
Chinese military bases to be set up on the coast
The Free Balochistan movement leader anticipates that the CPEC will end the liberation movement he stands for. He said that with CPEC the Chinese Government will control the coastal strip of Balochistan by cutting it from other Baloch areas. As it is not an economically viable plan to have military bases in Balochistan's mainland due to the Sunni Punjabi occupation, it is a better option for the military bases to be on the coast, he reasoned. The Baloch leader also suggested that China could maintain bases in Balochistan's coastal areas, in the same manner, Russia has been maintaining Kaliningrad in the heart of eastern Europe.
"Pakistan is turning Gwadar and other coastal areas of Balochistan into a Chinese Kaliningrad which already has the largest concentration of military cantonments and bases in the region and new bases are being built in Jiwani, Sonmiani, and other areas," the Baloch leader said.
CPEC, not a failure, intends to surround India by sea
Marri also burst the bubble of pro-independence Baloch and Indian journalists who claim that CPEC has failed. He said that they are in the illusion that they have succeeded in failing the CPEC project. It is not easy to defeat the Chinese imperialist communist designs and once they succeed it will be the end of Balochistan's independence movement. Baloch nation will become a minority in its own land with CPEC, he predicted. Moreover, geopolitically Baloch will be the first causality of the CPEC and then it will be India and the western countries. On the other hand, the leader also stood for his own movement saying that the success of Balochistan's national struggle will end the CPEC.
"Chinese and Pakistani nexus in the region and their belligerence towards their neighbors are known to everyone. Once CPEC's military objectives are achieved that is the construction of bases in Jiwani, Ormara and underground submarine base in Sonmiani, this will help China and Pakistan to encircle India by sea," he added.
(With inputs from ANI)
17:37 IST, October 15th 2019