An attack on a luxury hotel in the heart of Gwadar proves that
Pakistan’s military-centric approach is failing. May 20, 2019
Undoubtedly, Gwadar –
the port city in Balochistan on the Arabian Sea — is the backbone of the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is why it has been in the center
of media attention ever since the announcement of the multi-billion dollar
project. In this regard, Pakistan’s prosperity is also linked to the
development of the Gwadar port project. On some occasions, Pakistani officials
have gone as far as to assert that Gwadar has the potential of changing the
fate of the whole region.
But
on May 12, Baloch militants carried out an assault in the heart of CPEC.
Three
armed militants reportedly stormed the luxury Pearl Continental hotel in
Gwadar. The attackers were killed, but only after killing five people inside
the hotel and a soldier.
CPEC
is part of China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative. It seeks to link China’s
western and less-developed Xinjiang region with Gwadar in Pakistan’s
Balochistan province. This plan will give China valuable access to the Arabian
Sea.
From
the beginning, China has been concerned about the threats to CPEC in Pakistan
in general and in Balochistan in particular. The southern Pakistani province is
home to a long-running insurgency by
various Baloch ethnic militias aiming for independence. To address China’s
concerns, Pakistan has taken action against militant groups, including banned
religious outfits. Over the years, the Pakistani authorities have been able to
restore peace in many areas that were previously volatile. There have also been
reports of Baloch nationalist militants surrendering before the authorities.
But
those gains have proven to be short-lived. The May 12 attack in Gwadar was not
a one-off; in November 2018 Baloch militants attacked the Chinese consulate in
Karachi. Once again, these groups are gaining momentum and are
carrying out attacks to show their presence. Clearly, the militants have only
been driven underground, not exterminated once and for all.
The
brazen nature of May’s attack was notable. Ever since CPEC was unveiled,
security has been beefed up in Gwadar. The whole town of Gwadar city now
resembles a military cantonment. Foreign journalists visiting Gwadar have not
been allowed to enter the port city without “No-Objection Certificates” (NOCs).
Locals who visit other areas of Pakistan are regularly asked to show their
national identity cards to step back inside their own hometown. Despite these
intense security measures, militants were able to attack a luxury hotel in the
heart of Gwadar.
The
Gwadar incident suggests that Pakistan has not been able to fully address
Chinese concerns. Instead, these concerns are further compounding by the day.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has not been able to satisfy Chinese
authorities over CPEC; it doesn’t help that under Khan’s government, there has
been talk of renegotiating certain CPEC projects with China. Although those
reports were later officially denied, the Chinese were taken aback at the new
demands.
China
wants CPEC to be successful at any cost. That is why the Chinese have been
trying to reach out to some Baloch separatist leaders on their own. Yet those
efforts have not borne fruit. On the contrary, things have become even uglier
since China’s reported negotiations with Baloch separatists.
Baloch
nationalists have shown their hostility toward CPEC from the very beginning.
Baloch separatists have posted videos on social media vowing to carry out
attacks against CPEC projects. According to them, these development projects
are a threat to Baloch identity. In recent months, Baloch separatists have
increased attacks in and out of the province. Last month, on April 18, around a
dozen armed men killed 14 bus passengers in Ormara, Balochistan, including 11
members of Pakistan’s navy, coast guard, and air force. And as mentioned
earlier, last year in November, the the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)
carried out an assault on Chinese consulate in Karachi, in which two policemen
and two civilians were killed.
Besides
Baloch nationalists, ordinary Balochs are also apprehensive about the future of
Gwadar port project. Many Balochs are concerned that they are going to be
outnumbered by a wave of outside migration to the province, as more non-Balochs
come hoping to reap the benefits of CPEC. As a whole, Baloch fear that they
will lose their identity if they are outnumbered in their own province
following the development of Gwadar and completion of CPEC projects in
Balochistan. Meanwhile, shockingly, there is a dearth of clean drinking water,
electricity, and other facilities for the locals of Gwadar, the epicenter of
CPEC.
The
government of Pakistan has failed to address these apprehensions. Instead,
these fears are only increasing. For instance Gwadar’s local fishermen are
being displaced, gradually but noticeably,
from their main site of fishing in the name of development. If the government
involved locals in the overall development of the Gwadar port project, the
Balochs themselves would stand like a wall against any untoward incidents. But
instead of getting local buy-in, the authorities are doubling down on
militarizing Gwadar. This security-centric approach cannot prevent all attacks,
as May 12 proved.
The
recent attack on the only five-star hotel in Gwadar – with the explicit goal of
targeting foreigners — has raised some serious questions about the security of
CPEC. Already, foreign investors, including Chinese, have security concerns about
investing in the province. Under these circumstances, the state of Pakistan
needs to provide a secure environment to investors, so that they will not shy
away from investing in Balochistan in general and in Gwadar in particular. But
before doing that, the state must involve the local Balochs in the overall
development of the Gwadar and CPEC projects. If not, the situation in
Balochistan will continue to deteriorate, which does not augur well for the
future of the port town.
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