Pakistan, China looting Balochistan as Gwadar faces water, electricity crisis after…; why Baloch people are…

Anger is simmering in the Balochistan province due to rampant unemployment and exploitation of resources in the Gwadar Port region by China and Pakistan, with Baloch separatist groups using the resentment among locals as a rallying cry.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a rebel separatist outfit fighting for the separation of Balochistan from Pakistan, hijacked the Jaffar Express, heading to Quetta to Peshawar, taking the passengers hostage, and issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to Islamabad, demanding the release “forcibly disappeared” activists.

Gwadar lacks basic necessities

But why are the Baloch people angry with Pakistan? The reason, experts believe, lies in Islamabad’s decades-long exploitation of the frontier province that has left the people of this region penniless and facing critical shortages of basic necessities like water and electricity.

The strategic Gwadar Port, part of Beijing’s ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, is also located in Balochistan, but amidst the tall claims once made by both countries to transform this region into a Dubai-like city, the area lacks basic necessities like clean drinking water and indigenously-produced electricity, even after a decade and China’s claims of having spent $50 billion on the project.

According to the latest government-ordered review of CPEC, Gwadar lags behind in development even after 10 years after CPEC was launched, primarily due to lack of  clean drinking water and indigenous electricity.

While Islamabad has admitted these shortcomings on several occasions, there have been little to efforts made by the Pakistani government to address these grievances. As per a recent report, Pakistan imports electricity for Gwadar Port from Iran.

China building naval base in Gwadar

While Pakistan is facing flak for Gwadar turning into a white elephant, China, on the other hand, reportedly intends to build army base and a naval base in the Pakistani city, which will empower Beijing to dominate the entire Persian Gulf adjacent to Iran.

Its an open secret that China has invested heavily in the strategic Gwadar port in Pakistan, which is a key point in CPEC. Beijing wants total control of Gwadar port, a demand which has recently put the allies at odds with each other, after Islamabad declared that the strategic port belongs solely to Pakistan and won’t be handed over to any “foreign entity”.

Additionally, anger is simmering in the Balochistan province due to rampant unemployment and exploitation of resources in the region by China, with Baloch separatist groups using the resentment among locals as a rallying cry.

Why Baloch people are joining BLA?

The rampant exploitation of resources has fueled separatism in Balochistan, with Baloch youth taking up arms and joining the BLA in droves, demanding separation from Pakistan, and China to leave the region.

The Baloch separatists have carried out deadly attacks in the region in recent, targeting Chinese personnel working in Gwadar. In a recent attack, several Chinese engineers were killed in a terror attack by Baloch rebels, following which Beijing now mulls to deploy the Chinese army in the region to safeguard its citizens and investment.

However, Pakistan has opposed this suggestion, stating it would amount to a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.