Attacks against Chinese citizens, CPEC projects and the Pakistan Army continue unabated in Balochistan. The latest of these attacks took place on Sunday (August 13).
In one of the Balochistan Liberation Army’s (BLA) deadliest attacks, nine Pakistan Army soldiers and four Chinese engineers were killed in the Gwadar district of Balochistan.
The assault was carried out by two fidayeens and was credited to the BLA’s Majeed Brigade. In response to the incident, the Chinese Consulate in Karachi swiftly released a security warning for Chinese nationals in Pakistan.
As a focal point of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which traverses illegally occupied Indian territory, Gwadar port is of vital importance. The port employs a large number of Chinese labourers, which is indicative of China’s significant investments in Balochistan under the CPEC initiative.
The event occurs only a few days after Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote Pakistani President Arif Alvi to express his support for Pakistan’s national anti-terrorism policy. The message was sent shortly after a horrific bomb attack killed more than 45 people in Pakistan’s Khayber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In the letter, Xi underlined China’s steadfast commitment to support Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and joint efforts to maintain peace and security.
This incident is not the first time extremist groups have targeted Chinese people working in Pakistan.
Multiple extremist factions have regularly targeted Chinese engineers and technicians engaged in CPEC-related projects in Balochistan and other regions under the control of the Pakistani Army.
These organisations criticise Rawalpindi’s abuses and call for stronger local resource control because of concern that such control may not be possible given the Chinese-financed and -operated projects.
Many Chinese nationals have died in such attacks over the past ten years, including those fighting to form the Baloch nation.
However, China repeatedly defends Pakistan-based terrorist organisations from international condemnation at the UN Security Council. Its repeated failures to designate terrorists responsible for attacks on Indian territory serve as clear evidence of this.
In a recent instance, China prevented India and the United States from designating Sajid Mir, a member of the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a global terrorist in response to his involvement.
India has voiced concerns about China prioritizing “petty geopolitical interests” over the fight against terrorism. The Indian government emphasized that this obstruction highlights a lack of genuine political will to effectively combat the menace of terrorism.
While Xi’s assurance of support for Pakistan’s national anti-terror plan has drawn mockery from Indian netizens. Critics interpreted this gesture as a commitment to shield Pakistani terrorists at the United Nations.
