BEIJING, China – In a major breakthrough, leaders of top Baloch tribestraditionally thought to be opposed to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) have vowed to fully support the CPEC and promised to providesecurity to the Chinese nationals working in across Balochistan.
The leaders of different tribes of Balochistan also downplayed negativewestern propaganda vis-a-vis China’s investment made under China PakistanEconomic Corridor (CPEC) and vowed to support the initiatives of CPEC andBelt and Road.
The Pakistani delegation is being led by the governor Balochistanincluding former Chief Minister Balochistan Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, CentralJoint Secretary of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) Bayazeed Kasi, BalochistanMinister for Sports and Culture Abdul Khaliq Hazara, Member of ProvisionalAssembly (MP) Sanaullah Baloch, eminent tribal leaders Abdul Kasi, NasirZaman Khan, Senator Muhammad Daud, Mir Liaqat Ali, Mir Mehroze Marri,Mohammad Humayun Barakzai, Faisal Hayat Khan, Chairperson of BalochistanInstitute of Research and Development (BIRD) Ms Javeria Tareen andpolitical leaders, businessmen, and think tanks. The delegation has visitedUrumqi, Kashgar, and Beijing during their stay here.
It merits mention that western media has been projecting Balochistan’snationalist tribes and groups including Marri, Bugti and National Party ledby Dr Abdul Malik Baloch as critics of the CPEC. Their support to CPEC isa major development.
Governor of Balochistan, Amanullah Khan Yasinzai, along with otherrepresentatives of local tribes also inaugurated the Silk Road CommunityBuilding on Friday here in Xinjiang, China. The Silk Road CommunityBuilding Initiative was launched at a thematic forum of people-to-peopleconnectivity of the Second Belt and Road Forum for InternationalCooperation in Beijing on April 25.
The delegation called on Mr Song Tao, head of the International Departmentof the Communist Party of China Central Committee, during his meeting withthe delegation, said that the people to people connectivity was themed as“Working together for better lives: people-to-people connectivity andcooperation”.
“The thematic forum is aimed at building consensus and reviving the SilkRoad spirit to create a brighter tomorrow. Since the First Belt and RoadForum held in 2017, there have been extensive and meaningful exchanges andcooperation between China and other Belt and Road partner countriesinvolving people from all walks of life,” he added.
“People-to-people connectivity is the important content of the BRI, and itis also the spirit, base and goal of the BRI,” Song said, calling forworking together for cultural win-win cooperation, openness, inclusivenessand innovation and for more cooperation, not only between governments, butalso social organizations.
DiploMag had a special sitting with the delegation here in Beijing.Balochistan Governor Amanullah Khan Yasinzai said the Silk Road communitybuilding initiative between Balochistan, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China willhelp boost the CPEC.
“CPEC enters in second phase which is based on social development, capacitybuilding and welfare projects. Balochistan and Xinjiang are sisterprovinces as both fall in geo-strategic and ethnic location,” he said.
He said Gawadar is a China’s billion-dollar gateway to subcontinent. “Weneed to learn from Chinese development model of Xinjiang to speed updevelopment in Balochistan. We also need China’s cooperation in education,agriculture and women development sectors,” he added.
He stressed for the need to start exchange programs for Balochistan tribeleaders and political leaders to learn from Chinese models.
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“There is a need to promote university-to-university cooperation betweenthe two countries as it would help build a knowledge-based society inPakistan’s largest province of Balochistan and the establishment ofvocational training institutes in Quetta and Gwadar which would help impartmodern skills and training on the local youth,” he mentioned.
Bayazeed Kasi said that PTI government was pursuing Prime Minister ImranKhan’s vision of boosting mutual cooperation in fields of agriculture,education and health between the two all weather friends.
“We are learning from China how to alleviate poverty as China has pulled800 million people out of poverty. This poverty alleviation model wouldlargely help Pakistan build a community of shared destiny working closelywith the vision of Chinese visionary President Xi Jinping,” he added.
Bayazeed Kasi said CPEC has emerged as an opportunity for the people ofBalochistan who have faced terrorism and negligence. He said ourprestigious arm forces have overcome all security issues and crushed almostall terrorist. He said the CPEC has opened for world to investment inPakistan.
“We need scholarships for Balochistan students and to construct vocationaltraining institutes for youth,” he added.
Mir Mehroze Marri said he was happy to observe the development model ofChina. “We are looking for such projects in our Balochistan on povertyalleviation. We need technology transfer in hospitals and educationalsectors. Balochistan is neglected in past but now CPEC has made ourprovince very important. Gawadar is important for both our countries onmutual understanding. We should promote Pakistan and CPEC for better futureof our generation,” he asserted.
Member of PEMRA Mohammad Humayun Barakzai said Pakistan and China need topromote people to people connectivity to help remove misunderstandings.
“China is the only our sincere friend Pakistan has today and we willcounter all propaganda against the CPEC. We need to construct new railwaylines in Balochistan to promote local industries export products to world.We need cooperation in media sector to ensure encounter of all negativepropaganda of western media against CPEC,” he added.
Mir Liaqat Marri stressed the need for promotion of people-to-peoplecontacts between Pakistan and China. “We will support CPEC projects withour lives, with our tribes,” he said, adding that the fruits of CPEC shouldalso trickle down to the ignored people of Balochistan as well.
Senator Daud Khan said that the delegates had visited three cities of Chinaand learnt from Chinese development model.
