CPEC will not run against will of Balochistan citizens: Pak National Assembly member

Pakistani National Assembly member Aslam Bhutani said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will not work against the will of the people residing in Balochistan.

Addressing the joint session of the Pakistan assembly Bhutani said, "CPEC will not work against the will of the Balochistan people because this project is against the people of Balochistan people."

While talking about the exploitation of the Balochistan people, Bhutani said that the residents were being humiliated in the name of CPEC. He further said that the 45 thousand acres of land in District Hub and Lasbela areas of Balochistan was given to a foreign-based cement factory overnight and that also without any notification.

In the joint session, the national assembly member also stated that he is against terrorism but in the dictator era, when "we jump into the war of another superpower, the other party will not present garlands to us."

"When Balochistan ask for their rights then the government calls them traitors," he added. Balochistan is rich in resources but the benefit of those resources is not being given to the Baloch people.

He showed the advertisement which has done some fake promises about the water project but that has been not started yet.

Earlier, in November, Balochistan's residents protested against the CPEC.

Baloch National Movement (BNM) spokesperson said that Gwadar had been declared the hub of the CPEC by Islamabad but the people of Balochistan are not only unhappy with these projects and are expressing their displeasure through continuous protests.

On December 24, the Balochistan government and protest leaders held the latest round of negotiations but failed to make any headway, reported Asian Lite International. The Gwadar Rights Movement leader, Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman Baloch, and other leaders, understand the criticality of the issue for both the Pakistan government and Beijing.

On December 2, protestors staged a sit-in outside the Gwadar International Airport to "put pressure on the government for the acceptance of its demands".

On December 10, thousands of women rallied in Gwadar to show solidarity with Maulana Rehman. On December 16, the Maulana and his supporters brandished weapons, implying that they were even willing to resort to violence to press for their demands.

The Maulana has issued a threat to the Chinese nationals living in Gwadar, according to reports, warning that if the government "ignores" their peaceful protests, the participants have a right "to pick up and use weapons to protect our rights."

Media reports suggest that there are fewer than 500 Chinese in Gwadar, all based in the Gwadar Port compound, reported Asian Lite International.

Rehman and the other protestors had largely avoided threatening China openly last year.

Chinese citizens are facing increasing threats from different militant groups in Pakistan, with a rise in recent incidents of targeted attacks on China nationals.

The growing anti-China sentiment in Gwadar may adversely impact the progress of key CPEC projects, say reports.

( With inputs from ANI )