New Delhi:The recent suicide attack on a convoy transporting Chinese engineers from the secure Jinnah International Airport in Karachi left three dead, including two Chinese, and many seriously injured including a Chinese. This is the latest in a series of terrorist incidents within Pakistan.
This came just when Pakistan prepared to host the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad on 15-16 Oct. The terrorist strike happening at the Karachi Airport adds to Pakistan’s discomfiture. The airport, guarded by law enforcement agencies, is surrounded by military installations.
The fact that terrorists were able to breach a secure area is itself embarrassing for Pakistan. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack mentioning that its Majeed Brigade was behind it.
Pakistan initially stated that the incident was a tanker blast only to be corrected by the Chinese embassy which announced it as a suicide attack. A statement by the Chinese embassy in Islamabad mentioned that the convoy was ‘carrying Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited.’
This is the same company with whom Pakistan’s finance ministry is involved in negotiating reprofiling of debt. The Chinese embassy in Islamabad released a statement demanding that Pakistan ‘thoroughly investigate the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, and take all necessary measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Pakistan.’
So shaken was the Pakistan government that the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharief, visited the Chinese embassy to offer condolences and promised the ambassador that he would personally monitor the probe.
The Chinese Daily in an editorial mentioned, ‘China and Pakistan should further strengthen counterterrorism and security cooperation. Schadenfreude is what anti-China forces feel when terrorists attack CPEC projects in Pakistan.’
China was once again hinting that its forces must be deployed within Pak to protect its citizens. Such a deployment would be demeaning for Pak. Terrorist incidents continue in Pakistan’s western provinces. There are daily reports of deaths of security forces personnel, terrorists and innocents. Anger against the government runs high in these regions.
Simultaneously, to keep Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from continuing their protests, the Pak army has been given the responsibility of securing Islamabad for the SCO summit. Pakistan has already imposed section 144 in Islamabad and surrounding areas to prevent any gatherings.
The Pak leadership rightly mentions that increased terrorism and PTI protests, mostly violent, are aimed at embarrassing the current government before the SCO community. In defiance, as also seeking to display their power, the PTI has announced a peaceful protest in Islamabad on 15th Oct, coinciding with the SCO summit.
Such is the desperation within the PTI that Mohamad Ali Saif, advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM on information, invited India's External Affairs Minister to participate in their protests. This was subsequently denied.
Shehbaz Sharief, who is bound to have a dialogue with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, representing China, on the sidelines of the SCO summit, will be left red-faced attempting to defend his country’s security measures. Other nations, including Russia and West Asia, would hesitate to invest in Pakistan.
Further, this is not the first attack on Chinese engineers employed in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. In March this year, five Chinese nationals and their driver were killed in a suicide attack at the Dasu hydropower project, funded by the Chinese. In May, Pakistan’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister visited Beijing and promised to hunt down those responsible for the March attack.
As many as 11 innocents were arrested and forced to admit responsibility. Whenever Chinese nationals have been killed in terrorist strikes in Pakistan, they have demanded financial compensation. How much will be the demand this time is unknown. Further, China has threatened to slow down projects unless Pakistan provides fool-proof security.
For the Baluch, the CPEC is unacceptable as it encroaches on their territory. Their regular protests against handing over of Gwadar to the Chinese have been ignored. The government refuses to discuss their concerns. Possibly, due to the upcoming SCO summit, Pakistan authorities have not blamed Indian RAW directly.
Its planning minister, Ahsan Iqbal, mentioned, ‘There is no doubt, that terrorism in Karachi and political terrorism protest calls are similar.’ He added that the ‘scriptwriter’ was the same person who on one hand was using terrorists to carry out explosive attacks, and on the other, was using PTI to spread anarchy and undermine Pakistan’s vital interests.
Pakistan is aware that any illogical statement at this juncture could offset the visit of the Indian Foreign Minister to Islamabad. Accusations will emerge once several innocents are arrested and forced to admit their involvement, all post the SCO summit.
Pakistan is crumbling under a combination of threats. Imran Khan’s PTI demands political change, his release and holding the army chief accountable for the current mess. They are prepared to exploit the SCO summit to highlight Pakistan’s internal mess.
The TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) seeks to bring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Sharia law. The Baluch desired freedom from Pakistan’s illegal occupation hence targeting the Chinese constructing the CPEC on their land. The TTP and Baluch are not only active in their regions but have infiltrated deep into the country, as recent incidents indicated.
Agitations and violence on political, religious and freedom movements are a heady mix, proving difficult for a cash-strapped Pakistan to contain. Their government machinery is largely involved in crushing the PTI as well as state institutions which favour them, including the judiciary, thereby ensuring continuity to the current hybrid government, whom Imran holds in contempt.
The Pakistan leadership is aware that current protests could turn violent, especially with a deteriorating economy, resulting in a repeat of Bangladesh, hence they must suppress it at all costs. They are also aware that there are members of the armed forces who support Imran, hence need to tread carefully.
Imran on his part continues to languish behind bars, knowing that remaining behind bars is his best bet for regaining power. With emphasis on ensuring peace and security in the Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore belt, outlying provinces are being ignored. This has given space for the TTP and Baluch to re-emerge. Further, with the SCO around the bend, Pakistan cannot afford a terrorist strike in or near the capital.
Pakistan is a nation in the regional limelight with the forthcoming SCO summit. This is the time for it to project unity amongst its political class while keeping terrorism at bay. However, it has failed on both counts. The world would witness an unstable Pakistan struggling to contain rising political discontent extremist ideologies and violence, rather than a nation working to overcome its economic woes.
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