Roland Jacquard

These close-range attacks on Chinese personnel and facilities are worrying the Chinese authorities about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which China has imposed on Pakistan. These attacks show the weakness of the Pakistani state in the fight against terrorism.

In the latest series of attacks, five Chinese workers were killed (26 March) when a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into the bus in which they were travelling from Islamabad to their camp on the Dasu hydroelectric dam in KPK province. A day earlier, militants launched an attack (25 March) on the Pakistani naval station PNS Siddique, one of whose main functions was to support the CPEC, the BRI’s flagship project in Pakistan. Chinese drones are reportedly stationed at the Turbat naval airbase in Baluchistan. While the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is suspected of carrying out the attack on the naval airbase, the deadly attack on Chinese workers in the KPK is suspected of having been carried out by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The involvement of various militant groups in these attacks reflects the widespread anger in Pakistan against the Chinese-sponsored regional cooperation initiative.

It is important to note that Chinese personnel and interests have been subject to periodic terrorist attacks, despite the creation of a special force to protect them.

The BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) has spoken out against the CPEC, warning of further attacks if China does not leave Balochistan.

It also warned that it had formed a special unit to attack Chinese personnel and facilities in Baluchistan. The recent attack on the port of Gwadar was claimed by the BLA’s “Majeed Brigade”, which opposes Chinese investment in Baluchistan province and accuses China and Pakistan of exploiting the region’s resources. In reality, the projects sponsored by China hardly benefit Pakistani citizens. In Gwadar, local fishermen are complaining that they are no longer allowed to fish in the area where the port has been built. Residents have been forced to sell off their farmland where CPEC projects such as power stations have been built. Terrorism charges have been brought against those who protested against this forced acquisition of land. Highly polluting thermal power stations have also given rise to major health problems.

Pakistan has pursued exploitative policies in Balochistan and China has been complicit in these policies through its projects which have brought few benefits or employment opportunities to the local population. The Saindak copper and gold project, managed by the Chinese, and the construction activities linked to the port of Gwadar are just a few examples. China’s activities in the strategic Baluchistan region, in particular the potential projection of its naval power from Gwadar and other Pakistani ports close to the Strait of Hormuz, are a cause for concern. Rehman Malik, Pakistan’s then Interior Minister, said in 2012 that 14 organisations were operating in Balochistan and that both ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’ of Pakistan were involved in funding and encouraging these organisations. This is in fact the result of Pakistan’s policies of state sponsorship of terrorism. Pakistan must face up to this reality as it confronts China, which believes that Islamabad is incapable of fighting terrorism and protecting Chinese interests in Pakistan.

More than 10 years ago, Hillary Clinton issued a warning to Pakistan’s leaders: “You can’t keep snakes in your garden and expect them to only bite your neighbours”. Even after becoming an American ally in the global war on terror in the aftermath of September 11, Pakistan has never seriously disarmed all the jihadist groups operating from its territory.

American experts note that 16,225 terrorist attacks have been reported in Pakistan since 2000, resulting in 66,601 deaths.

Groups such as the Afghan Taliban have also received active support from the Pakistani government over the years, despite their close links with al-Qaeda.

Osama bin Laden’s almost “official” residence in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad, before he was killed in 2011 during an American operation, is an example of Pakistan’s double game. The Pakistani government helped the United States arrest other al-Qaeda leaders between 2001 and 2011, but bin Laden managed to evade the authorities’ surveillance for years. And this was only possible with the support of jihadist groups that were not on the Pakistani government’s list of priority targets, or even a double game on the part of certain Pakistani security and intelligence officials.