Page 54 - 15DEC2018E

COLUMN
ASIAN DRAMA
SYED
NOORUZZAMAN
The columnist — former
Deputy Editor of The
Tribune, Chandigarh —
specialises in foreign
affairs. With a career
spanning 41 years, he
keeps close watch on
issues related to South
Asian countries. The
views expressed are
personal
The implied threat
to national security
and the mention of
the ‘dissemination of
Chinese culture’ are
among the factors
causing worries in
sections of Pakistani
communities
TEHELKA / 15 DECEMBER 2018 54 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
54-55 Column-Nooruzzama.indd 2 11/30/2018
Anti-China sentiment
growing in Pakistan?
Rising instances of Chinese being attacked in different cities hint
that every activity involving Beijing is being seen with suspicion in
Pakistan, which has been getting massive investments from China
he foiled attack on the mosque-madarsa complex for a few
Chinese consulate in days, were freed but after a high drama.
Karachi on November 23 The Pakistan army had to launch an
cannot be dismissed as operation to clear up the complex, lead-
another incident of terror- ing to the death of one of the two clerics
T ist violence. It is a symptom managing the madarsas attached to the
of an underlying malaise that has led mosque.
to a strong anti-Chinese sentiment in Pakistan Prime Minister Imran
Pakistan. Though Pakistan has been get- Khan’s comment on the November there. The long-term Chinese plan in • Under attack Security personnel guard has been carried in the Western media
ting massive Chinese investments for 23 Karachi incident appears to have the guise of the CPEC programme has Chinese mission, which was recently attacked in this regard. According to American
a long time as they are considered “all- grains of truth. He observed, “The failed been spelt out in a document which and European media reports, the Pa-
weather” allies, it appears that almost attack against the Chinese consulate was carried in Pakistan’s Dawn news- and Huawei in telecommunications kistanis in general believe that China
every activity involving China is being was intended to scare away Chinese paper some time ago. and China Metallurgical Group Corpo- is imposing “unequal treaties” on their
seen with suspicion there. The consu- investors and undermine the China- The schemes as contained in the ration (MCC) in mining and minerals.” government for huge economic prof-
late was targeted in 2012 also when a Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).” document , according to Dawn, have The implied threat to national its. One of such stories in circulation
motorcycle-bomb exploded near the A large section of Pakistan’s popula- it that “thousands of acres of agricul- security and the mention of the “dis- is that under the 40-year lease given
Chinese diplomatic facility, though the tion suspects the Chinese intentions tural land will be leased out to Chinese semination of Chinese culture” are to China for running Gwadar port, the
Pakistan government said it could be behind the CPEC plan. There is a strong enterprises to set up ‘demonstration among the factors causing worries in Pakistan government will get only 10
aimed at the Rangers, its own paramili- feeling that the large-scale Chinese projects’ in areas ranging from seed sections of Pakistanis. The opponents per cent of the profits accrued from
tary force. investments through various projects, varieties to irrigation technology. A full of massive Chinese investments have its operations. This might be among
Numerous instances of Chinese including the CPEC, running from system of monitoring and surveillance been cautioning the government to the reasons why the Pakistani media
nationals being attacked in different Pa- Kashgar near China’s Xinjiang province will be built in cities from Peshawar to go slow on the CPEC plan. But the reported some time ago that the Imran
kistani cities have been reported off and to Gwadar port in Balochistan, cannot Karachi, with 24-hour video record- successive governments have been Khan government might adopt a go-
on. In February this year, two executives be without a major, though clandestine, ings on roads and busy marketplaces ignoring these voices as they could not slow policy on the CPEC programme.
of a Chinese transportation company objective of converting Pakistan into for law and order. A national fibreoptic afford to take any measure that could This is quite likely as among the parties
were shot by gunmen in Karachi, with their colony. They regard the Chinese as backbone will be built for the country hit Pakistan’s economic growth. The supporting the new government in
one of them losing his life. In October the British East India Company, which not only for internet traffic, but also December 2015 CPEC document, titled Islamabad are those which have been
last year, 26 Chinese nationals were began its activities as a trading organi- terrestrial distribution of broadcast “Long-Term Plan On China-Pakistan opposed to allowing Chinese invest-
wounded when a dormitory for workers sation during Mughal rule but facilitated TV, which will cooperate with Chinese Economic Corridor”, has 231 pages. ments on a huge scale.
These parties have been voicing
at Gwadar port was attacked with gre- the capture of the entire country by the media in the ‘dissemination of Chinese An abridged version of the document their concern over China getting
nades. Recently, the Chinese Embassy
having 30 pages was provided to the
British colonialists.
culture’.”
in Islamabad was forced to issue a travel The basic undeclared idea behind the The plan further envisages “a deep Punjab government, but not to other increasingly involved in Pakistan’s
warning to its nationals when it came to Chinese One Belt One Road (the new and broad-based penetration of most provincial governments as they are ap- domestic affairs. One example that
has been mentioned is that Beijing
name for the old Silk Route) scheme is to
parently not considered significant in
know of a terrorist plan to assassinate
sectors of Pakistan’s economy as well
the Chinese Ambassador. increase the area of Chinese influence as its society by Chinese enterprises the CPEC scheme. has bypassed Islamabad and directly
The Chinese official explanation for
The anti-Chinese sentiment in
Pakistan is not new. Perhaps, the most by using its economic muscle power. and culture. Its scope has no precedent its citizens in Pakistan being increas- approached Balochistan’s separatist
This fear behind the Chinese massive
in Pakistan’s history in terms of how
elements to ensure safety of its invest-
serious such case was the kidnapping of investments in the Maldives caused far it opens up the domestic economy ingly targeted has been that the report- ments. One should not be surprised
seven Chinese massage parlour workers country-wide resentment against the to participation by foreign enterprises. ed attacks were planned and executed if attacks on Chinese nationals and
projects in Pakistan get intensified in
by Islamic fundamentalist groups such
In some areas the plan seeks to build
previous pro-China Abdulla Yameen
(six women and one man) near Islama-
bad’s Lal Masjid in June 2007 by students regime, which got replaced by the Ibra- on a market presence already estab- as the East Turkestan Independence the days to come.
Movement, the Al-Qaeda and the Is-
lished by Chinese enterprises eg Haier
of the two Islamic seminaries attached
him Mohamed Solih government after
to the mosque. The Chinese, kept in the the September 23 Presidential election in household appliances, ChinaMobile lamic State, but it has not denied what LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM
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