China sets a trap for Pakistan to use its Military Bases and posts -

Islamabad: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other allies have refused financial help to Pakistan. In contrast, International Monetary Fund has set harsh conditions to bail out Pakistan. In this scenario, Pakistan is pleading with China for a fresh loan. China has prepared to sanction a new loan taking advantage of the Pakistani situation. But China has put a condition that Pakistan should allow the Chinese military to use bases and posts of the Pakistan military in exchange. Some news agencies reported this, quoting sources in the Pakistan government. Meanwhile, a senior official from the Chinese intelligence agency met the Pakistan army chief and the ISI chief.

There had been a suicide bomb attack on the car carrying Chinese officials from the Chinese Confucius Institute at the Karachi University campus. Two Chinese officials and the institute Chief had been killed on the spot in the attack. Majid Brigade from the Baloch Liberation Army demanding independent Balochistan had accepted the responsibility of the attack. The Baloch rebels warned that the Chinese citizens and the Chinese soldiers deployed for their security in Gwadar would also be targeted in the coming times.

The Chinese mouthpiece recommended that China, rocked by the Karachi blast and the threats of the Baloch rebels, carry out airstrikes on the locations of the terrorists. It also suggested that a People’s Liberation army unit should be sent to Pakistan. The recently formed Shahbaz Sharif government had expressed concerns over the Karachi blasts and had announced that necessary security would be provided to the Chinese nationals. But despite this, Chinese officials, teachers, employees and other citizens working on various Chinese projects hastily fled to China.

Amid all these developments, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia and UAE to bail out the country from the economic crisis. But Saudi and UAE refused financial assistance to Pakistan. Whereas, the meeting between Pakistani and IMF officials held in Qatar on the 18th of May also was a failure. This forced Pakistan to plead for assistance from China. New Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto is on a visit to China and he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

It is claimed that China had put its charter of demands before Pakistan even before this. China has demanded that if Pakistan wants a fresh loan, then Pakistan should allow China to use the military bases and posts given to the United States during the Cold War era. It is claimed that these include the Pakistani Shamsi airbase near the Afghanistan border.

Considering the developments over the last few days, the possibility of Pakistan allowing China to use its military bases and posts has increased significantly. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif Had visited China after the Karachi blast to guarantee the security of Chinese citizens in Pakistan, but China had dismissed the offer. After that, the Chinese demand for the military bases and posts and inviting the Pakistani Foreign Minister within the next few hours is indicated differently.

At the same time, Cheng Guoping, a senior official from the Chinese intelligence agency, is visiting Pakistan. He met the Pakistan army chief General Bajwa and ISI chief Nadim Anjum. The military and not the government take essential decisions in Pakistan. Therefore, the gravity of the meetings of this Chinese official increased significantly.