Pakistani government steps up efforts to prevent Imran Khan's November 24 protest

Pushed by Beijing, Pakistan plans a military operation against Baloch separatists

QUETTA: Pakistan is fine-tuning the operational details, scope and scale of a planned military operation in the country's insurgency-plagued southwest province of Balochistan, officials said this week . Analysts say pressure from Beijing convinced Islamabad it was time to confront separatist militants. a region that is home to China’s major Belt and Road projects. After a series of deadly attacks targeting its citizens in recent months, China has pushed to join security efforts to protect them and on Tuesday unveiled a plan for joint counterterrorism exercises in Pakistan. The same day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of civilian and military leaders who gave the green light for a comprehensive operation against separatist insurgents in Balochistan. The statement from the Prime Minister's Office gave no details of the operation, including whether it was limited to ground operations or whether it could involve the air force, when it would be launched and in which parts of the vast and isolated province of Balochistan. It also does not specify whether the plan would be a joint effort with Beijing or which Pakistani security agencies would participate. Nothing has been finalized yet as the meeting took place on Tuesday and further progress regarding the military operation will take time, Wasim Akram, information officer at the Interior Ministry, told Arab News, adding that The scale of the operation and the forces that would be involved were details that were still being worked out. Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind and interior ministry special secretary Abdul Nasir Dotani also did not share specific details on the scope and scale of the operations. This was decided in the supreme federal committee and it is clear that it will be a comprehensive military operation, Rind told Arab News. Balochistan Interior Minister Shahab Ali Shah, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar could not be contacted for comment despite several attempts. PRESSURE FROM CHINA Pakistan's military already has a strong presence in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran and is home to a decades-long separatist insurgency led by militants fighting for a separate homeland to gain more share of the profits of this resource-rich province. The government and army deny exploiting the province's mineral wealth or ignoring its economic development. The military has a long history of conducting intelligence-based operations against insurgent groups, the most prominent of which is the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has intensified its attacks in recent months against China's military and nationals. long-time ally. The region is home to Gwadar Port, built by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment in President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative aimed at expanding China's global reach. In addition to recent attacks, the BLA also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing last month outside the international airport in the southern port city of Karachi that killed two Chinese engineers. There should be no ambiguity that Pakistan is facing internal and external pressure, mainly from China, to launch this new offensive against Baloch separatist militants, said lead researcher Dr Ayesha Siddiqa at Kings College London and expert in military affairs at Arab News. . The Chinese government is exerting increasing pressure and is no longer willing to provide financial assistance to Pakistan until the security situation improves. Pakistan must demonstrate to the Chinese that we are doing something in Balochistan against Baloch militant groups. Shahzad Zulfiqar, a veteran journalist who has covered militancy in Balochistan for over two decades, agrees with Dr Siddiqa, also pointing to reports that China was pushing Pakistan to allow its own security personnel to protect thousands of Chinese citizens working in South Asia. nation. Although Pakistan has taken action against militant groups involved in attacks on Chinese nationals, China is now pushing for Pakistan to work on a common security mechanism as Chinese citizens are being targeted and threatened, he declared. Islamabad's foreign ministry this month denied international media reports that Beijing wanted its own security forces on the ground in Pakistan. Pakistan has raised a security force to protect Chinese nationals and projects, especially those operating under the umbrella of CPEC, and this security apparatus continues to provide security to Chinese CPEC projects in Pakistan, said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters on November 14: Pakistan and China enjoy strong dialogue and cooperation on a range of issues, including counter-terrorism and security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan . We will continue to work with our Chinese brothers for the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan. NO MILITARY SOLUTION Baloch separatists have launched several insurgencies in Balochistan since the birth of Pakistan in 1947, including from 1948 to 1950, 195860, 196263 and 19731977. A continuing low-level insurgency began in 2003. The army launched several campaigns military response, including from 1948 in Kalat State and a five-year operation in the 1970s under the leadership of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Many political governments have come and gone in Balochistan, but the operation has continued, Sardar Akhter Jan Mengal, leader of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) and a prominent Baloch nationalist leader in the province, told Arab News. No one can solve the political problem of Balochistan through military operations. Indeed, political leaders and independent analysts have for years urged the government to take a comprehensive approach to solving Balochistan's problems, which they say stem from decades of economic deprivation and political disenfranchisement. The province, which accounts for 44 percent of Pakistan's total land area, is the furthest behind in almost all economic and social indicators. Rich in land and mineral wealth, most parts of the region lack even the basics of modern life. For example, despite being home to Reko Diq, one of the world's largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits and the site of major Chinese investment projects, the province lacks employment and employment opportunities. basic facilities like internet, health and education. Balochistan is also the least represented in Pakistan's Parliament, where legislative seats are allocated to provinces based on their population. Balochistan has a population of only 14.89 million in a country of over 240 million and therefore has only 16 seats in the National Assembly. Punjab, with a much smaller area but a population of 127.68 million, gets 141 seats. Zulfiqar, the journalist, said military operations must be combined with social and economic development as well as good governance efforts to succeed. This will be the fifth military operation in Balochistan since 1947, he said. Military operations are not the only solution to bring peace and stability to Balochistan; military operations should include more options, including dialogue and good governance. In fact, many fear that a new military operation in the province will further alienate citizens, rights defenders and political leaders, who have long accused security agencies of arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and other types of rights violations in the name of repression against separatists. The state denies any involvement in such activities. This military operation will further fuel the fire of hatred in Balochistan rather than extinguish it, BNP's Mengal said. Nawab Aslam Raisani, a provincial lawmaker and the province's top political and tribal leader, also warned against a military operation. We have not seen any results from the use of military force, he said. This new decision of the supreme committee to launch a military operation in Balochistan will push the federation towards further destruction.

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