ISLAMABAD: Ties between Pakistan and China are back on track as Pakistani security forces successfully razed the terrorist cell involved in an attack involving the killing of three Chinese teachers at Karachi University, a source said. dawn on Thursday.
The source further said that the Main Line 1 (ML-1) upgradation project, which is the largest in China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan, has been revived after a temporary halt due to the April 26 suicide attack. Earlier the project was delayed due to funding issues.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways and China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) recently held a meeting on the project and both sides are currently working on financial modalities.
The ML-1 project, the source said, will be the centerpiece of the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Mushahid Hussain says Pakistan opposes any ‘new cold war’ between Washington and Beijing
After the Karachi University attack, Beijing had linked CPEC’s progress not only to the security of its personnel working in Pakistan and the arrest and prosecution of the attackers, but at this one steadfast point the entire relationship almost came to a standstill.
The idea was reinforced by the chairman of the Senate Defense Committee, Mushahid Hussain Syed, who told dawn The success in locating and apprehending the perpetrators of the Confucius Institute bombing had “reassured and restored China’s confidence” in the ability of the Pakistani security apparatus to protect Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan.
Senator Mushahid said, “Our eastern neighbour, Pakistan-China focused on the CPEC, is working overtime to weaken and sabotage this bond, both through information warfare as well as kinetic through local proxies.” is using war,” Senator Mushahid said.
Chinese frustration over the slow pace of investigation into the attack is cited as the main reason Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif refrained from traveling to Beijing, even though China has been one of the first foreign destinations the new Pakistani prime minister visits. For closer strategic ties between the two countries.
Progress in the case was made public this week when Pakistani authorities claimed on Tuesday that the alleged mastermind and planner of the Karachi attack, which was jointly carried out by terrorist groups BLA and BLF, had been arrested. The accused, identified as Dad Bucks, has been produced before an anti-terrorism court in Karachi.
Though law enforcement agencies claimed that the arrest was made a day earlier (on Monday), the source said that he was in custody for weeks.
Security forces in Balochistan had killed six suspected terrorists in the Central Mekran range around June 19, while two others are said to be absconding.
Chinese counter-terrorism officials also worked closely with Pakistani agencies in this matter.
“A team from China was coordinating closely with their local counterparts in the investigation in Pakistan,” the source said.
Welcoming the progress in the matter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing Lijian Zhao said: “We appreciate the strong efforts made by the Pakistani side. Also, further investigation is still on.”
“We expect the Pakistani side to ensure the security of Chinese projects, personnel and institutions in Pakistan,” he said.
The success was made possible by the visit of high-ranking Chinese politician Yang Jiechi, seen as the personal envoy of President Xi Jinping, the source said.
General Bajwa visited Beijing weeks ago and offered “iron-clad security guarantees” on security for the Chinese and vowed to track down the perpetrators of the Karachi attack.
The source said Mr. Yang had personally assured the Pakistan government that both the CPEC and bilateral relations were now back on track.
No to the ‘new cold war’
Separately, speaking at a conference on Thursday, Senator Mushahid Hussain Saeed stressed the need to balance ties with the US and China, saying a new Cold War was not acceptable to Islamabad.
“Washington needs to balance its role and relations with India and Pakistan,” he told participants of the ‘Importance of BRI in Regional Connectivity’ organized at Panjab University in Lahore.
He dismissed NATO’s planned expansion into Asia as “unnatural” because it was beyond its stated mandate.
The senator said the US tilt towards India has created a credibility gap in US regional policies, as the US condemned the Russian annexation of Crimea, while it condemned the Indian annexation of Kashmir.
Zulqarnain Tahir also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, July 8, 2022