Lingering threats to CPEC: edit in Pakistan Today, Sept 8, 2016 at 18:45 hrs

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is the harbinger of huge investment in infrastructural and energy projects in Pakistan, China will have entry to the warm waters of Indian Ocean and beyond through Pakistan. The project is expected to serve over three million people, which forms sizeable part nearly half of the human family. The project promises enormous economic potentials if it is implemented in time as the visualized plan. One of China’s most ambitious economic ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR) initiative will be connecting the mainland China with Asia, Europe, and Africa, and only the American continents will not be connected directly to this project. In the highly globalized world, there is a need for regional connectivity and this project can increasingly meet the interstate and interregional relationships. CPEC will provide new opportunities for investment that will open up new markets as well as a broadening of the trade prospects and will pave way for new vistas of economic stability and development in Pakistan.
Realizing the significance of the projects, it will be instrumental in playing role in setting up business in private sector in Pakistan and usher in new world of opportunities under CPEC project, the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Pakistan has enormous potential and in recent years the world has seen a major resurgence of small businesses throughout the world and it can be connected with Chinese Small Manufacturing Enterprises and there are bright chances of joint ventures that both the countries can immensely benefit in the diversified fields.
Peace has relatively prevailed in the country due to achievements of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and security situation has greatly improved and economic stability can be strengthened which can indeed open up many opportunities for foreign investors and friendly countries could benefit from the cheap and abundant workforce available in Pakistan.
The project has the strengthening capacity to fulfill the infrastructure and energy shortfalls in the underdeveloped and underprivileged areas, empower poor people in terms of liberating them from poverty and uplift the places of Pakistan including Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Since the political crescendo of activity being observed in Pakistan over the CPEC, there is increasing the threat of disrupting the project and there is the possibility of a terror attack for making the project a failure by Indian Intelligence agency, RAW and its local operatives in Pakistan.
According to a press report, the Chinese news agencies have shared concerns with Pakistan that RAW is on its front foot to sabotage the mega project. Modi-led government in India has blatantly threatened Pakistan for the dire consequences and Indian foreign overt and covert policy and a plethora of resources to wage proxy war within Pakistan remains no secret in the complicated scheme of things. India is always on its way to damage the interests of Pakistan through its secret services.
The Chinese engineer in Karachi was targeted but fortunately, it missed the mark, the incident raised the concerns about the safety of foreign workers. The incident left the message that there is no excuse for complacency. The significance of the incident was that it was the first ever attempt made on the life of a Chinese working in Karachi since the launch of the ambitious CPEC project.
Considering the sheer size and number of Chinese workers engaged in numerous projects, there is certainly increasing need of heightened security measures that cannot be ignored. Given the size of Chinese nationals are working on countrywide development projects including the CPEC, in Sindh and Baluchistan. The Sindh police have constituted a 2,000-strong special security cell for the protection of Chinese citizens, and there are more Chinese working elsewhere in the country, and the broader coordination is necessitated for ensuring the smooth flow in the security so that foreign workers can effectively work without disruption in the performance. Any relaxation to the insidious elements, whether it is internal or external; who want to jeopardize the success of the development works must be identified and should be taken to task. The country is currently confronting great economic difficulties, the law and order is our formidable challenge and the wave of security threats to our most coveted projects and to the nation can aggravate the matters.
It is reliably learned that a special security division is in its formative stage, and provinces have yet to authorize for deploying the special security forces, because of assorted challenges posed by regional powers and their vested interests. The regional powers may have considered the development of the project scrutinized via critical eyes and as a threat to their regional interests. The implementation phase must be completed swiftly for the deployment of the Special Forces in order to provide safety, security, and protection to the projects.
The people of Pakistan has overwhelmingly demonstrated unity in the war against terrorism and the nation is still united to foil the nefarious designs of the enemy and people have become aware of the secret hands of foreign powers and their domestic stooges who are destined to be failed in disrupting the rapid completion of CPEC projects.
All the efforts must be put forth to remove the hindrances to the mega projects as the nation is ready to overcome every difficulty and danger with fortitude and every hardship is surmountable if true attempts have been made and ultimately the corridor would benefit across the national spectrum. http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/406568//