Abetting China against India can cost Pakistan, warn Pakistani groups

Islamabad – Pakistan deployed 20,000 soldiers in Gilgit-Baltistan, while there is a border dispute raging between India and China. The Pakistani intention behind this deployment was to pressurise India and help China. Now, Pakistani Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has promised China that Pakistan will fully cooperate with China in any of the regional issues. Pakistani Foreign Minister gave this assurance to the Chinese Foreign Minister, during a teleconference. pakiBut it is reported that some of the groups from Pakistan itself, have warned that when all the major countries of the world are standing behind India, standing with China could prove a costly mistake for Pakistan.

The European countries have started swift moves to boycott China on the political level for the aggressive stand adopted by China on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Leading countries like the United Kingdom, France and Germany have expressed complete support for India. The support received by India on the international level is increasing and its repercussions may be felt, even in the United Nations General body. Some people from Pakistan foreign ministry expressed a concern that in this scenario, if Pakistan supported China on this front, Pakistan also may suffer major losses, along with China. Intense differences in the Pakistan foreign ministry, over the matter, have been exposed because of this.

One specific group in Pakistan has expressed a fear that in the coming times, China may claim its right even on Pakistani territory. Whereas, another group has directly criticised the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being implemented by China. The group has warned that opposition faced by this project from within Pakistan cannot be ignored. Therefore, this group is demanding a reassessment of the CPEC from the Imran Kahn government.

The analysts are pointing out that the huge investments made by China under this scheme are nothing but loans given at a high rate and Pakistan will have difficulties repaying these loans. But despite all this, Pakistan is attaching the highest priority to Chinese cooperation. Some of the journalists and analysts are giving a dejected reaction that this is because Pakistan is left with no other options.