Islamabad – Pakistan bans Chinese app ‘Tiktok’. Pakistan has taken action against the Chinese app three times before, blaming it for providing wrong content. But while China is angry with Pakistan over the killing of nine of its engineers, Pakistan’s decision to ban Tiktok indicates differently. Pakistani media is expressing concern that China is extremely angry with Pakistan; soon, the consequences will be evident. No matter how big Pakistan’s claims of friendship with China are, the media claim that Pakistan is ready to betray China.
A bomb blast near the Pakistani city of Kohistan has killed at least nine Chinese engineers. However, Pakistan’s foreign ministry has raised suspicions, claiming it was not a saboteur act. In due course of time, Pakistan’s foreign ministry acknowledged that it was a terrorist attack. But after this, agitated China gave a clear signal that it did not have faith in Pakistan. China has sent a team to Pakistan to investigate the bombing. Also, the Dasu Dam project on which these engineers were working is currently being shut down by China. China also warned that if Pakistan cannot protect Chinese citizens, China is ready to deploy its troops and missiles in Pakistan.
After this, Pakistan rushed to appease China. But some in Pakistan are sceptical of the Kohistan bombing. China’s investment in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is the future of Pakistan. In the future, Pakistan will depend on China. However, the Pakistani analyst alleged that the reason for Pakistan’s indifference to its relations with China seems to be different.
The interests of a handful of people in power in Pakistan are intertwined with those of the United States and the West. The US and other Western countries disapprove of the CPEC project. That is why they are opposing the project and a handful of Pakistani people are plotting against China, said a Pakistani analyst. At present, Pakistan is preparing to leave the hand of China and hold the hand of the United States again. Realizing that this is a betrayal of China, China is angry with Pakistan. The analyst claimed that Pakistan was not fully aware of China’s anger.
Against this backdrop, it is clear that there is a different politics behind Pakistan’s ban on Chinese apps like TikTok. On the one hand, Pakistani leaders claim that their friendship with China is higher than the Himalayas. On the other hand, former Pakistani military officials are indicating that the United States could also invest in the Pakistani port of Gwadar, along with China. This former military official said that Pakistan should welcome US and Western investments. Pakistan should now take a neutral stance by accepting US investments along with China. If Pakistan makes a mistake in choosing between the United States and China, it could have serious consequences. Instead, the former military official has suggested that these two countries should be given an opportunity to invest in Pakistan. A conflict should be created between the interest of the two.
No matter how important China is, China cannot replace the United States, which influences key international institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. A few days back, Najam Sethi, a senior Pakistani journalist, had said that the Pakistan Army had realized that Pakistan had no choice but to accept the stand of the United States. But after China’s development projects and investments have gone so far, it will amount to a terrible betrayal if Pakistan backs away from it. Another group of journalists and analysts is worried that China will make Pakistan pay a heavy price.
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