Are Chinese investments in Balochistan at risk amid conflict? Experts weigh in

India Today

Fakhar Yusufzai, a journalist from Pakistan, noted that conflict in the region has persisted for two years. He added that Baloch separatists have recently increased their attacks.

Transcript

00:00Joining me for more on this right now, Fakhar Yusufzai, happens to be a journalist based

00:04in Islamabad, also with me right now is Bahod Baloch, a journalist based in Balochistan.

00:11I want to begin with Mr. Bahod Baloch first sir, thank you firstly for giving us your

00:18time.

00:19Let me cut the chase over here, what is the Baloch in your opinion, what is the Baloch

00:24army trying to achieve with these multiple attacks firstly?

00:54Okay, let me also bring in Fakhar Yusufzai over here.

01:24Mr. Yusufzai, is the Pakistan army just turning out to be a sitting duck in all of this?

01:31Why the sudden surge in attack?

01:33What explains all of this?

01:35Actually, as well as the attack is concerned in Noshki, the roadside bomb blast that was

01:44attacked by the BLA on the Pakistan army bus, but on board people on bus was not 90,

01:53that is not more than 45 or 50 people on that bus.

01:57But right now, the first information is coming from Noshki is about that more than five people

02:06on the Pakistan army killed by the BLA and more than 10 is seriously injured.

02:13As well as the attack is concerned and the responsibility claimed by the BLA.

02:19This is going on from last one and a half or two years.

02:25It's going up day by day, the intensity of the attack, three or four days ago, they attacked

02:32the Jaffar Express, they hijacked the whole train, where the 500 people was on board,

02:38and mostly people was from the security agencies, and they kidnapped so many people in that.

02:47Today, they have attacked the bus, which is going on near the Noshki district, which is

02:52also a very sensitive area, and BLA have a strong board in that area.

03:00But I think so this is very difficult for the Pakistan military, because the BLA have

03:08a strong board, especially in the southern Balochistan, and the Pakistan army have done

03:14so many operations before the Jaffar Express incident, as well as the today incident.

03:20But if we talk about the intensity, or as well as if we talk about the tough time by

03:27the BLA to the military forces, of course, this heat can be feel in Islamabad, can be

03:34feel in Lahore, can be feel in Karachi, as well, because they are attacking every convoy,

03:44they are attacking every military officer, if they are traveling via train, via bus,

03:53or via their own vehicle, they are attacking everywhere the Pakistan military forces in

04:00Balochistan, especially in the southern Balochistan.

04:03Okay, so just stay with me, Bahut Baloch continues to be with us, Mr. Baloch, the other thing

04:10I want to know from you is, that is the Taliban government in Afghanistan providing support

04:17to the Baloch army?

04:18What are you learning on that front?

04:20In Baloch, they say that we need support, they say it clearly in their videos, they

04:27say that any country in the world should have the strength to support us, because we are

04:34a protected area, we should be helped by the human resources, but here they have their

04:41own government, then there is one thing that this is a secular history, some things cannot

04:48be combined, it is difficult for you to bring such evidence or things that they are being

04:55supported.

04:56So, Baloch says that we should get support, but one more thing, here it is often said

05:03that if the BLA or Baloch had any support, then today's war would have changed, because

05:09they have the lack of resources or whatever they need in terms of war, they do not have

05:14such things that if someone supported them, there would have been more increase in the

05:19violence of these people, there would have been more changes.

05:24Fakhar Yousufzai, the other thing that I want to know from you is, is the Pakistan army

05:31trying to play down the train, hijack, that is something that we saw happen earlier, do

05:36you think they are probably doing it again and can do it going forward as well?

05:41Fakhar Yousufzai Actually, nowadays BLA is using every tactics

05:48and they are trying to hijack all the Balochistan, not the specific area.

05:58If we talk about the past, the BLA war was in very specific area in Balochistan, but

06:05nowadays, especially from last six months, there was strong war in southern Balochistan,

06:11but they are moving toward the other part of the Balochistan, which is the Pashtun dominating

06:16areas, and especially they have some joint venture in the north of Balochistan with the

06:22TTP as well, which is, I think, creating a very difficult situation for the military

06:32forces in all the Balochistan, as well as the BLA is concerned.

06:39BLA nowadays, they have a power to attack everywhere.

06:45As we seen four or five days ago, the hijacking of the Jaffar Express, after that, I think

06:54so they are very confident and they are challenging the state everywhere in Balochistan.

07:01If we talk about the Panjgur, if we talk about the Torbat, Sibi, Mach, everywhere in Balochistan,

07:07they are openly challenging.

07:09And as they done the attack on the military forces, on the next minute, they claim the

07:17responsibility.

07:18They release the press release to the media, to the social media.

07:23They are using the media very widely and they are pressing their card very smartly.

07:30Therefore, the situation is, I think, so very, very, very tough for the military forces,

07:36as well as for the civil government, the chief minister of Balochistan, Sir Faraz Bukti.

07:42But I think so, if we will take it serious, it is possible that we can cope with the situation.

07:51Otherwise, if we are not, if we will take it for granted, is the length of the Islamabad,

08:00if we will see this situation with the lens of Rawalpindi or with the lens of Islamabad,

08:05I think so the situation will be more tougher in near future, as we talk about today.

08:11Sir, last question to you Sir, before I let you go.

08:21Are the Chinese investments in Balochistan, since you are the expert over there,

08:25since you know everything about Balochistan, can it be said that the Balochistan,

08:30in the region, Chinese investments in the region are now under threat?

08:35Yes, of course, of course, with regards to the Chinese, look, the kind of actions they have taken,

08:43directly, the Baloch Liberation Army carried out its second military operation,

08:47which was carried out in 2018, at the Dalbandi location.

08:51Then after that, it was carried out continuously at the Chinese consulate,

08:54here in Gwadar, their operation on the hotel, the capital was there.

08:59Various operations have been carried out, that is, most of the actions have been carried out on them.

09:02Then what they have to say is that the purpose of the operation on China is that

09:08a partner has been established with Pakistan as a team,

09:13that they are providing logistic support to it, money is also being given, drones are also being provided,

09:19that is why it is being targeted.

09:21Now, the attack that took place in Karachi last year, at the Karachi airport,

09:27so after that, China said in very clear words that it demanded a response from Pakistan,

09:33that attacks are being carried out on me continuously, then I have to give an answer,

09:36the engineers or the investors, we bring them here, then they are killed,

09:44there are problems for us there.

09:46This time, in very clear words, they demanded a response from them,

09:50that they should give us a guarantee that we will not attack again.

09:53We even had a tour of Shahbaz Sharif, then we had to face the disappointment of Surya Tyal,

09:58they came back completely disappointed.

10:00Now, Asif Zardari had a tour, Asif Zardari's relations with them are very good,

10:06but still it cannot be said that they are satisfied that we will not attack,

10:11or we can continue our work.

10:15If there is one attack, then the security concerns for them are increasing,

10:21these things are happening again and again,

10:23that is why a project was supposed to be completed in a year,

10:26it was supposed to be completed in two years,

10:28it is taking five years, it is taking seven years,

10:30then the kind of war that has increased in Balochistan,

10:34the kind of increase in their actions,

10:36this is a concern for everyone,

10:38not only China, but any other project,

10:42for them the situation is that Balochistan is unprotected,

10:46we can invest here, our investors will be safe or not.

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