Beijing/ Islamabad: The friendship between Pakistan and China is not hidden from anyone. By giving loans to Pakistan, China has indirectly taken over the country economically. China also takes decisions related to the government of Pakistan sitting in Beijing. Pakistan is completely drowned in China’s debt. In such a situation, the same terrorists who were given shelter by Pakistan in their country have now become a headache for the Shahbaz government.
Terrorists have ruined the Pakistan government. Recently, terrorists thriving in Pakistan have targeted Chinese citizens. The friendship between China and Pakistan has only nosedived over time. In such a situation, Chinese persons and others working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects have been targeted by terrorists thrice. Now China is very worried about these attacks whether it did right or wrong by investing so much in Pakistan. If reports are to be believed China can send its military security to Pakistan to protect its citizens.
China has asked Pakistan to thoroughly investigate and find the culprits for the recent suicide attack on Chinese civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, amid speculations that Beijing is placing its security burden on Islamabad to protect CPEC projects. In the last few days, there have been many attacks on Chinese engineers.
The attack, which resulted in the death of at least five Chinese nationals, has raised concerns over the safety of persons working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stressed the importance of holding criminals accountable and ensuring justice.
“China calls on Pakistan to thoroughly investigate the incident as soon as possible, find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a media briefing. Despite increasing attacks on Chinese projects, China reaffirmed its support towards Pakistan and expressed confidence in their joint efforts to combat terrorism. Lin said, “Our two countries are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. Our iron friendship is deeply rooted in the peoples of both countries. Any attempt to harm China-Pakistan cooperation will never succeed.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to visit Beijing soon, where possible Chinese investment to boost Pakistan’s economy is expected to be discussed. The security of Chinese personnel working on CPEC projects has become a growing concern following several recent attacks, including the targeting of the naval airbase and Gwadar port.
In response to the terrorist attack, Prime Minister Sharif has called for a thorough joint investigation to identify the perpetrators. Analysts believe extremist groups including the Balochistan Liberation Army are behind the attacks. The attack is similar to a previous incident in 2021, in which nine Chinese nationals and four Pakistanis were killed.
What is worrying for China is that terrorists are resorting to suicide bomb attacks which is making it difficult for security agencies to stop them. China’s proposal to deploy its own security agencies for security has faced opposition from Pakistan, which currently manages security arrangements at the project sites.
