6 days Ago By Firstpost
There appears to be some rusting in a certain ‘iron brother’ relationship. A spat of no common order had erupted recently when the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan warned the authorities that their patience was at an end with regard to attacks on Chinese workers in the country. The Foreign Office spokesperson, equally unusually, took umbrage instead of quietly accepting the (justified) criticism, all of which raised eyebrows across the circles that matter in both countries.
Now it seems matters may have been smoothed out. Just a day ago, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, while reiterating the ‘all-weather friendship’ motif, also stated, “We (China) are firm in our commitment to protecting the safety and security of Chinese nationals..
” rather mysteriously also stating, “Attempts to undermine the mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries will not succeed”. There was also a distinct threat, that terrorists would ‘pay the price’. The poor Baloch better look out.
The Chinese are unusually annoyed All of this needs some explanation. There is no doubt at all that Beijing has every right to get completely annoyed. Ambassador Jiang Zaidong observes that “Top priority should be the security of Chinese personnel because they come to Pakistan to participate in the country’s development,” adding that the Chinese “don’t deserve this kind of sacrifice.
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” There have been two serious attacks in a month’s time, with not just the attack on the bus at the Jinnah airport just before the meeting of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) but also an unusual attack by a security guard in Karachi. That was apparently the result of an altercation between a group of Chinese nationals and the security. Anyway, some 16 rounds were fired, which indicates quite a mess.
The Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has assured the ambassador that he was ‘personally’ managing the situation. It may be noted that relations on the ground between the two sides have had problems, given the huge cultural differences. Pakistanis often complain of marked racism among the Chinese and a contempt for locals.
A letter from the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Syed Asad Raza, to the chairman of the All Pakistan Security Agencies Association (APSA) is revealing. It shows the Chinese have taken to hiring their own security people rather than relying on the Pakistanis. These are locals, and as the DIG says, their training is not of the highest order, and their knowledge of ‘foreigners’ is minimal.
But that the Chinese even feel the need to hire private security is perplexing. In a largely unnoticed move, the Pakistan army has granted itself a huge rise in the budget ostensibly to take care of their security. Spike in Attacks There is no doubt that the numbers of attacks have risen recently.
From about an attack a year earlier, 3 in 2021, and then a jump to 4 attacks in March 2024, is enough to cause serious concern. But here’s the curious part. In early October this year, the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet sanctioned Rs 35 of Rs 45 billion to the army in a supplementary grant.
That’s rather a lot. This is the second such grant, after another Rs 60 billion for Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, all of which is above the Rs 2.127 trillion defence budget.
As yet unclear is another Rs 45 billion for ‘approved projects’ for the army. The body also approved Rs 16 billion for the Special Security Division South and another Rs 8 billion for a similar division in the south, both of which are responsible for protecting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in southern regions. All this means a near doubling of the defence budget, at a time when the International Monetary Fund is rapping Islamabad on the knuckles for a current account deficit and still reviewing its performance.
Pakistan Army gets a financial boost There is one possible clue to both the sudden bounty in Pakistan army coffers and the relatively softer position of China towards Pakistani issues. Beijing has been insisting for some time that it bring its own security agencies into the country, including supporting intelligence. Towards this, it seems it has proposed a joint company for CPEC Phase 2 and a security agreement to firm this up.
Pakistan has so far resisted this, given that this would mean a definite erosion of its sovereignty. No country likes other people’s intelligence roaming freely around the country. Now it is possible that this has been done, which may align with the sudden affluence apparent in the budget.
True, the Pakistan army has multiple sources of income, some from its business empire inside the country and outside it. Ayesha Jehangir estimates its empire at about $38 billion, not counting the extensive private empires of its senior officers, like former chief Gen. Bajwa, whose family became billionaires in just six years.
Reports like this also link the military generals to CPEC ventures, which means they are committed to them lock, stock, and barrel. A little loss of sovereignty may not bother them. Or else they are so compromised they have little choice.
End result Either way, Delhi needs to look out. First, there are going to be more Chinese security officials within Pakistan, who know well how to use the tech that they have given to the Pakistanis. That includes “Smart City” projects that include hundreds of cameras placed in major cities.
Karachi has yet to take off, which is probably why the attacks are occurring there in the first place. Second, they would dig into the Pakistan army’s own databases as well as the National Identity data. That is quite something.
Second is a more serious issue. The huge spike in the defence budget is clearly not just for the defence of Chinese nationals or for guarding the border. This needs more clarity, an impossible task given the opaque nature of Pakistan’s finances.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund needs to ask some pointed questions. Beijing has every right to demand more security, but it doesn’t really know the kind of army it is dealing with. Meanwhile, for those who think that the attacks have dented CPEC, think again.
Coming on line are more projects like the Karachi Coastal Comprehensive Zone, a huge development comprising some 930 hectares, of which 630 are reclaimed. That’s just next to our borders. This is a mega project that may, in the end, be larger than even Gwadar.
Besides, no one less than President Xi Jinping broke protocol to congratulate Shahbaz Sharif in March when he became Prime Minister. Officials have since been trooping into the country, indicating that Beijing still has its hand on the tiller. The bilateral boat may be tilting a good deal, but the captain is still very much on the job.
The writer is a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi. She tweets @kartha_tara. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author.
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