New Delhi: China and Pakistan are collaborating on an extensive scale to deploy about 25,000 soldiers to guard and protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
But quite inexplicably, this force would come loaded with artillery in order to secure the massive infrastructure project that snakes through the disputed region of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and extends along the length of the border with India.
The partly-operational CPEC is a massive 70 billion dollar railways and highways project that will connect Kashgar in western China to the Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea coast. While it gives China easy access to the Indian Ocean, the economic corridor promises to rapidly upgrade Pakistan infrastructure.
According to multiple Indian military sources familiar with the issue, two divisions—34 and 44 Light Infantry Divisions to be called Special Services Division North (SSDN) and Special Services Division North (SSDS) will be deployed on the CPEC.
Both of these divisions will have three brigades each, six brigades in total. They will comprise Pakistan Army commandos, Rangers from Punjab and Sindh, and the Frontier Corps paramilitary troops.
“In total, the combined number of troops from both the divisions will be around 25,000,” one of the sources told ETV Bharat on condition of not being named.
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The source questioned the rationale of the attachment of two field artillery regiments and one medium regiment each that are also integrated with these divisions.
“Why does a Special Services Division (SSD) guarding CPEC projects require artillery and that too, a brigade worth in every SSD? Going by the standard Order of Battle (ORBAT), this is overwhelming firepower even for conventional operations, and these are mostly guard duties. Even if Balochi insurgents are kept in mind, this is way more long-range firepower than required,” the source said.
The answer may lie in the fact that India has been kept in mind while raising the force. Light infantry battalions and the artillery together are considered ideal for mountain warfare and would be an effective formation in a conflict with India.
“In all possibility, China is trying to test these formations for likely joint operations in the future with Pakistan,” the source added.
A separate source tracking the SSD said while no direct confirmation is possible, it is China that is funding these two SSDs.
“And in the pretext of guarding the CPEC, Pakistan is also procuring drones, submarines, attack helicopters from China under the garb of CPEC protection,” the source added.
Besides low-cost drones, Pakistan is expected to receive the first of the China-made submarines—variant of the Type 039A Yuan Class—in 2022. In total, the China-Pakistan collaboration in submarines will yield eight submarines for the Pakistan Navy. Pakistan is also acquiring the Chinese Z-10 attack helicopter in a bid to match India’s Apache attack helicopter.
Moreover, according to sources in the Indian security establishment, even the Chinese contractors who have been deployed for the construction projects of the CPEC in Pakistan are Chinese military and paramilitary affiliated officers who can navigate the formation of the SSDs as per their plan and perspective.
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