Tag : Baltistan

Beijing: Beijing has been using the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to gain control of the Gwadar port and the region of Gilgit-Baltistan, a media report said. Writing in Global Watch Analysis Roland Jacquard said that CPEC is being used by China to pump in tens of billions of Euros into Pakistan under the banner of economics and development. Gwadar port, located on the Arabian Sea, will allow China to have a say in global energy economics as the country can use a naval base to hold control over the maritime traffic passing between West Asia. It is crucial for China to gain control over the Gilgit-Baltistan region (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir PoK), as the region borders the Xinjiang province of China. If Gwadar is critical for China's external power projection, Gilgit-Baltistan is critical for internal security, Jacquard wrote. Since 2010, there have been reports of growing presence of China in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. It was believed that several Chinese soldiers were present in the region in 2010 to secure road links, build infrastructure projects, including nearly two dozen tunnels. China's presence grew in the region three years later following the announcement of CPEC. There have been several attacks against Chinese nationals in Pakistan and as a result, Beijing has been demanding to bring their own security personnel to protect their assets and nationals in Islamabad. The residents of Gilgit-Baltistan fear that the country can give the region to China as the Shaksgam Valley was ceded to China in early 1960s, Jacquard wrote. The close proximity has resulted in marriages between Gilgit-Baltistan based cross-border traders and Uyghur women. However, several of them have complained that their Chinese wives have dis ...