Impact of CPEC on G-B
In April 2015,
President Xi Jinping's visit to Islamabad gave the stamp of authority to the
project. This route starts from the region of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan
which is still considered as a disputed territory and not a part of Pakistan as
per the constitution. Gilgit-Baltistan has a unique history as its people,
after a valiant struggle, overcame the organized Kashmiri armies. To get
freedom for their territory and in the hopes of becoming Pakistanis, they
acceded.Unfortunately, the government of Pakistan, instead of integrating these
people as citizens accepted their accession, only for administrative control,
defining it as a part of Jammu & Kashmir. The purpose to have assured votes
in the event of the promised plebiscite materializing. The plebiscite never
took place, and there seems to be no possibility of it doing so. However, this
region was tagged to the Kashmir conflict and administered through presidential
decrees. Legally and constitutionally, GB does not have any representation in
the parliament and is not a part of Pakistan. It does not figure in central
state structures where decisions regarding the federating units are taken.
Resultantly, the people of GB have no say in CPEC projects. Instead of giving
more projects to GB the Government is shifting the current Sust dry port (GB)
to Havelian (Pakistan), which will effect lot of economic and political
problems on the local residents. From an economic point of view, the Sust Dry
port is home to thousands of jobs and business activities for the indigenous
people, like shops, stores, hotels, restaurants, teashops, workshops, labor for
loaded and un-loaded goods etc. GB would lose an important portion of its
revenue pie as it used to get 1% of the customs revenue. It is not even
represented in any consultative and planning committees of the CPEC projects.
The CPEC project while it is underway and under process, presently also faces a
lot of challenges that can destabilize its prospective beneficial impact for
all involved. The CPEC also effects the environment of GB adversely
throughwater pollution, desertification, soil erosion, water logging and
salinity, solid waste-management and deforestation. Gilgit-Baltistan will have
to facepollution due to Industrial and Transportation activities. Pollution,
though not too high at the moment may get worse if this project does not focus
on long-term sustainability. The threats can be categorized into internal and
external, as well as, political, economic and environmental.
China and Pakistan are
not the only direct stake-holders in this project, due to the disputed nature
of GB. India is worried about the status of Gilgit-Baltistan as it is
considered an integral part of India in its narrative. Claims have come out of
India that consider the CPEC as an illegal project in terms of International
Law (Ramachandran, 2015)India remains a noteworthy barrier. Dissenting the
hallway going through Indian-asserted Kashmir (in Pakistan) and Aksai Chin (in
China), New Delhi has rejected the activity. Referring to the India-Pakistan
debate on Kashmir as an issue of concern, a report by the UN Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) cautioned that CPEC may make
geopolitical strains with India and light political instability (The Indian
Express, 2017).China is investing huge amount of money in this project. The
funds are equal to the fifth of Pakistan GDP and twice then the foreign aid
investment from the last eight years.The proposed China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor perceives the new substances of worldwide and provincial governmental
issues by developing a progressively efficient, up-reviewed and require based
cooperation for financial, mechanical, vitality and exchange advancement. This
additionally gives a chance to China what's more, Pakistan to enhance their
communication with Central Asia, West Asia, the Center East and Europe. Both
Pakistan and China are relied upon to pick up from the proposed availability
through expressways, railroads, ocean paths, vitality pipelines and power
transmission lines. They will similarly add to financial improvement of
different nations that move toward becoming some portion of these game
plans.The CPEC can be depicted as the key arrangement of activities for
connecting .The CPEC connected China’s western area with Pakistan and its ports
of Gwadar and Karachi for making a persevering association between China,
Pakistan, the Arabian Ocean and the Gulf and the Middle East. This will be
commonly helpful to China and Pakistan in light of the fact that the CPEC isn't
just a lot of streets and interstates, however it incorporates advancement of
mechanical and vitality extends up and down the CPEC course in Pakistan (Rizvi,
2015). CPEC is contributing the socio-economic infrastructure of the country despite
its usefulness, Pakistan will have to face a lot of economic certainties like
china is building their industry in Pakistan and they will sell their products
at lower cost, due to which the demands for Chinese products increases and
people tends to demand more at lower price while industries in Pakistan can
face losses. In Pakistan, some political gatherings like ANP, Baloch patriots
raised genuine protests to the CPEC venture. Indeed, even JUI (F) appeared the
fleeting trend of against CPEC powers. Complaints were being raised in spite of
affirmations by the legislature that this venture will give level with chances
to all the provinces.Muhammad SaqibIrshad, gives four universal situations in
the South Asian area (206). In the direst outcome imaginable of crumple, the
progressing issues including exponential population development, ecological
corruption, absence of urban assembling, and absence of availability, threats
and populism are amplified. For this situation the CPEC would not either be
finished or it won't work appropriately (Abid.2015).As private interests are
vigorously associated with the CPEC. Huge landowners, foundation industry,
development industry and vitality companies will profit greatly. In Pakistan
the state itself is a class versus the state foundations of military and
organization, in this manner, the advantages will be gathered into the pockets
of the business people as well as to the Pakistani state establishments and
Chinese state itself. In this amusement, the lower classes and underestimated
people groups in Pakistan just as China are going to either turn out to be just
the work or not take an interest by any stretch of the imagination. This can be
confined through David Harvey's idea of "collection through dispossession"
(Harvey 21-44), whereby, the assets, for example, land, minerals, coal and
human capital which should've been used to assist the lower classes as per the
implicit agreement will be brought under the range of industrialist misuse.
Preceding the super task these assets were not straightforwardly associated
with world free enterprise but rather they are presently. Gilgit-Baltistan is
considered as the gateway of CPEC, but the people of GB get little or nothing
by this mega project instead it creates social and cultural imbalanced in the
region.
China Pakistan economic
corridor (CPEC) has the very potential to be a game changer for not just the
marginalized areas, but the whole of Pakistan. Gilgit Baltistan and Baluchistan
are the starting and ending points of the mega project respectively, which are
in dire need of attention from the state, and are encompassed by feelings of
being alienated. When CPEC was launched back in 2015, it was seen as potential
solution to the problems of the marginalized areas. The state dealing of the
project has left the people infuriated, especially the people of GB. It was
deemed as a game changer, but the critics were cynical about the prospect of
this project and specifically about its impact on the development of the
neglected regions of Pakistan. Now, with CPEC well under way, the project seems
to be a bad affair for the development of the marginalized regions, with all
the resources being centered on certain areas. The project, which had the
potential to turn regions like that of Gilgit Baltistan at par with other
developed areas has rather proved to be derogatory for the whole region, with
adverse effects like pollution and annihilation of natural scenery. If we look
at the progress being made in terms of installment of CPEC projects, there are
no hydropower or industrial projects incorporated for the region of Gilgit
Baltistan except for the Magpoondas special economic zone. The case of
Baluchistan resonates with that of Gilgit Baltistan where only two major
projects are on the paper, including Gwadar seaport and the new Gwadar
international airport. The indigenous people of Gilgit Baltistan and
Baluchistan do not seem to be on the beneficial end of these rare projects of
CPEC.
The CPEC project is
more than capable of changing and developing lives of the people of the
marginalized areas of Pakistan, like Baluchistan and Gilgit Baltistan, but
looking at the progress being made and the distribution of projects in these
regions, it is safe to say that these projects would not spark any change and
development in these areas. The CPEC project is not complete and well under
way, and there is still time to incorporate projects to facilitate and account
for the alienation of the people of these marginalized areas. The concerns and
sense of infringement of these people can only be address through the CPEC
project, and investing in these areas would only prove beneficial for both the
people of the region and the state of Pakistan.