Tag: CPEC

Baloch Liberation Army Sets Fire

Baloch Liberation Army Sets Fire To 6 Chinese Mobile Towers on CPEC

By LokMarg

Balochistan Liberation Front (BLA) claimed to have set fire to six mobile phone towers of Pakistani and Chinese companies in Tehsil Dasht of District Kech of Balochistan province.

BLA also attacked the mobile phone towers of the Pakistani mobile phone company ‘Ufone’ and the Chinese company ‘Zong’ in Dasht Kambel, Jan Muhammad Bazar, Print Bazar, and Zarin Bug areas of Kech, Balochistan.

BLA claimed to have burnt and destroyed all the machinery in those towers.

Similarly, another tower of Ufone on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route in Dasht, of Kech and the towers of Zong Company in Sungai Bazaar of Kech were attacked and all the machinery was set on fire.

Pakistan and China are laying a network of mobile phone towers in different areas of Balochistan to facilitate their spies and soldiers. The towers are also used for surveillance of the Baloch people.

Mobile Phone Towers were installed to protect the CPEC route. By propagating these projects as part of the development of Baloch people and Balochistan, the administration is misleading the locals to prolong their occupation in the area and loot the region and the people of their resources.

Two years ago also, in June 2021, The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed that its fighters set on fire the installations of telecommunication companies at Margat’s Chokhobi Wadh area of Quetta Balochistan and captured six of its staff members.

The spokesperson of the pro-freedom resistance organisation, Azad Baloch, also named the captured workers as Gul Shah Khan, Abdul Aadi and Mehraj residents of Quetta, Zhob and Qila Saifullah respectively, and Muhammad Yusuf, resident of Quetta, Amanat Ali, resident of Gujrat, Punjab, Rehmatullah, resident of Qila Saifullah.

Back in 2021, the BLA said that various telecommunication companies in occupied Balochistan have been repeatedly warned not to act as facilitators in the expansionist ambitions of the imperialist powers (Pakistan and China).

China, in collaboration with Pakistan, set up a telecommunications network and has been using other telecom companies, including Hawaii, and Subcon companies, (Netcom, Exeleron, ZTE) to spy on and trace the movement of people in Balochistan.

All of these projects are being funded through a well-organized project under the “Universal Service Fund”.

China has already to some extent implemented its economic and military ambitions against the will of the Baloch nation in the coastal city of Gwadar in occupied Balochistan, where the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project has been threatened by Baloch freedom fighters, due to which China and Pakistan are constantly trying new methods for Baloch genocide.

Telecom companies are installing mobile towers in uninhabited hilly areas of Balochistan at the behest of the Pakistani military. Under the guise of these telecom companies, China and Pakistan exchange secret information about Baloch freedom fighters and help the Pakistan army to intensify the ongoing military aggression and the abductions of Baloch youths in occupied Balochistan. (ANI)

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Chinese Projects In South Asia Facing Hurdles: Report

By LokMarg

After the initial fanfare about Chinese projects in South-Asian countries, the much-touted infrastructure deals in nations like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal are reportedly stuck in limbo by delays, complications and increased costs.

China’s highly-touted Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seems to be losing its sheen everywhere, as various issues including work at slow pace and terror attacks slow down the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) progress. Beijing is much concerned about the CPEC, which is the centrepiece of the BRI. The sluggish pace of work, frequent terror attacks, and incidences of corruption have slowed it down.

Last month, a Pakistan Senate panel had expressed concern over the slow pace of development on the CPEC and dissatisfaction being expressed by Chinese companies, Dawn reported. Besides Pakistan, Bangladesh authorities too have expressed concern over the slow progress of Chinese assisted infrastructure projects agreed under the bilateral MoUs in 2016.

A report by The Singapore Post stated that over two dozen MoUs/agreements which were signed during the October 2016 visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Dhaka, has not materialised.

The report said that China has been very slow in completing the financial modalities and pursuing the implementation of these projects despite Bangladesh’s repeated requests. “In Nepal too, Chinese involvement in hydro-power projects is reportedly mired in controversies,” the report added.

BRI promises to create opportunities for South Asia to facilitate a sustainable growth model but it also implies significant environmental risks, apart from economic, legal and sovereignty issues.

South Asia is amongst the main regions likely to be hit severely by the negative environmental impact of climate change. BRI announced by Beijing in 2013, will exacerbate these trends, reported European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS).

Furthermore, a research report has revealed that BRI has left scores of lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC) saddled with “hidden debts” totalling USD 385 billion.

The findings are part of a report published by AidData, an international development research lab based at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. According to this report, China has used debt rather than an aid to establish a dominant position in the international development finance market.

The report has analysed more than 13,000 aid and debt-financed projects worth more than USD 843 billion across 165 countries. According to AidData, over 40 LMIC now have levels of debt exposure to China higher than 10 per cent of their national gross domestic product.

The number of “mega-projects”–financed with loans worth USD 500 million or more–approved each year tripled during the first five years of BRI implementation. Despite larger loans and expanded loan portfolios, BRI has not led to any major changes in the sectoral or geographical composition of China’s overseas development finance program, the report said. (ANI)