Pakistan’s army has been ordered to “shoot on sight” after clashes with demonstrators killed four soldiers and at least one protester, according to reports.

The violence erupted when protesters demanding the release of Pakistan’s jailed former premier Imran Khan entered the capital Islamabad late Monday, defying efforts by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government to stifle the nationwide demonstrations.  

Television networks reported that four paratroopers had been “martyred” and that the army, under Article 245, had been deployed and authorized to “shoot on sight.” 

Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesman for Khan’s political movement, said one of the marchers was killed and 20 others were wounded as the authorities confronted the protesters.

The authorities did not immediately comment on Bukhari’s statement, but earlier Monday they blamed the turmoil on Khan’s supporters, pointing out that a police officer had been killed and more than 119 hurt.

The largest convoy, led by the former prime minister’s allies from the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had removed roadblocks along the highway to Islamabad after authorities tried to disperse them with tear gas, according to Pakistani government officials.

Authorities earlier said hundreds of Khan’s followers in multiple cities had been arrested in the protests and skirmishes. Those injuries included gunshot wounds, according to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

The marches began Sunday at Khan’s encouragement. He remains in custody despite courts granting him bail or suspending sentences in some of the cases against him. 

Khan, a former cricket star, has been in jail for more than a year. He faces more than 150 cases related to his time as premier, from corruption to inciting violence and misuse of power.

All educational facilities were closed in Islamabad for security reasons, according to a notice from the local administration. The government has also suspended mobile phone services in some areas and banned gatherings of more than five people in the capital. 

Naqvi, the interior minister, told reporters Monday, after attending the funeral for the policeman, that dozens of officers were injured in Islamabad, two of them in critical condition, and that protesters set vehicles on fire. 

He signaled in a later briefing that he intended to hold Khan directly accountable, saying “those who gave the call for the protest and seconded it are responsible for policemen casualties.” Naqvi also said authorities would arrest protesters who try to near the capital’s so-called Red Zone, where top government offices and Parliament are located, as well as the president and prime minister’s residences and embassies. 

Usman Anwar, chief of police in Punjab province, told reporters that 119 policemen were injured in several incidents in the region, which is just to the south of capital. 

The fresh protests are a challenge for Sharif’s government, which has tried to focus on restructuring and reforming the country’s weak economy under a loan and reform program managed by the International Monetary Fund. 

The government estimates that the unrest causing is costing the economy about 144 billion rupees ($518 million) daily, according to finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

In addition to his release, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party wants Sharif’s government to reverse a new law that it says gives the government the power to interfere in judicial affairs. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Are Beijing-Islamabad ties under strain? Last month’s bombing near Karachi airport, which killed two Chinese engineers and wounded a third, may well be a turning point. These bombings, claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), were the latest in a string of attacks on Beijing’s interests in Pakistan, which began in 2016. They have angered China, which has pushed Pakistan to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system.

Last Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said that Beijing “will continue supporting Pakistan’s counterterrorism effort[s] and socioeconomic development”. Pakistani officials who have direct knowledge of the previously unreported negotiations told Reuters that the Chinese want to bring in their own security, something that Pakistan is not in support of. Beijing has sent Islamabad a written proposal to “allow the dispatch of security agencies and military forces into each other’s territory to assist in counterterrorism missions and conduct joint strikes”.

Pakistan, for its part, was amenable to setting up a joint security management system wherein Chinese officials could attend security meetings. It had also requested Beijing for greater help in improving its intelligence capabilities instead of direct involvement. But, it remains averse to having Chinese security and military forces on its territory.

Why China Is Frustrated

China does not seem to be in the mood to be placated—and not without reason. Two major deadly attacks have occurred this year—one was in October last month in Karachi, and another in March in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The latter attack, on a Chinese envoy, was carried out by affiliates of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and resulted in the deaths of five Chinese nationals working on the Dasu dam project. 

Following the October bombings, the Chinese response was unusually blunt. It has been pushing for a thorough probe and investigation into the attacks as well as for a large-scale counterterrorism operation. The Chinese embassy, strongly condemning the “terrorist attack”, recently requested Pakistan to “thoroughly investigate the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, and take all necessary measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Pakistan”, and asked “Chinese citizens, enterprises and projects in Pakistan to be vigilant, pay close attention to the security situation, strengthen security measures, and make every effort to take safety precautions”. This is not surprising because these two attacks are certainly not the only ones targeting Chinese interests and personnel in Pakistan. 

The Balochistan Conflict

The roots of these tensions go back to Baloch dissatisfaction. However, the other broad underlying factor is Pakistan’s inability to assimilate all its ethnic groups and provinces into a cohesive national identity, both culturally and economically. The narrative of Pakistani Balochistan follows a familiar trajectory. It has been seen earlier in the history of East Pakistan (which ultimately decided its destiny as Bangladesh), of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and of the Northwest Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). The steady depletion of natural resources of these provinces, the dispossession of their populaces, the erosion of local autonomy, negligence towards development, the suppression of ethnic identity and culture, demographic changes and the brutal crushing of any dissent or opposition are all-too-familiar patterns. 

Balochistan is a resource-rich province with natural gas and mineral deposits, including coal, chromites, barytes, sulphur, marble, iron ore, quartzite, uranium, limestone and 95% of the world’s asbestos. Nevertheless, the province continues to languish under neglect, with the Baloch people alleging internal colonisation by Pakistan’s dominant Punjab province. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) continues to press ahead with its demands for secessionism, with Pakistan launching large-scale anti-insurgency operations to crush the agitation. Hundreds of Baloch have lost their lives and many more “disappeared” under these operations.

Why CPEC Has Become A Bone Of Contention

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship programme of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), passes majorly through Balochistan and is meant to bring in all the fruits of development. But the project has added to Baloch anxiety. The CPEC, a network of road, rail, power grid and cable connections, links China’s Xinjiang to the Gwadar Port in Balochistan Province. The Baloch allege dissatisfaction with and exploitation by the CPEC, whereby thousands have been displaced on their own land without adequate compensation or employment opportunities. There are charges of corruption and ambiguity, with many believing that only Pakistani elites and China would benefit from the project. The result has been a string of attacks on Chinese personnel and interests, interrupting the implementation of the CPEC. For instance, in 2018, the BLA attacked the Chinese consulate in Karachi. Two years later, it attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange, where the Chinese are major investors. In 2022, a female Baloch suicide bomber targeted Karachi University, killing three Chinese teachers. Last year, the BLA set six Chinese mobile towers on fire.

These tensions have considerably slowed down the progress of the CPEC, with many projects having been stalled. The Chinese, who have invested almost $64 billion into the corridor, are visibly upset. In 2021, a Pakistan Senate panel expressed concern over the slow progress of the CPEC and the Chinese dissatisfaction, given that around 135 Chinese companies are engaged in the CPEC. The Chinese Ambassador in Islamabad had also complained that Pakistan had “destroyed CPEC”.

A Breakdown Of Ties?

Along with the stalled projects and lost profits, body bags containing the remains of Chinese workers returning to the country have added to China’s frustrations. This has led to pressure on Islamabad to launch a full-blown counterinsurgency operation in Balochistan. It has also contributed to the erosion of confidence and a possible devaluation of bilateral ties with Pakistan. Analysts have pointed out that in the last few joint statements—most notable being the latest one released during the visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China—Pakistan is no longer mentioned as a “highest priority” country for China, a tag that featured in previous joint statements. Also, the idea of extending the CPEC to Afghanistan—mooted during a trilateral meeting in 2023 between then-Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, and acting Afghan foreign minister Malawi Amir Khan Muttaqi—is no longer being discussed.

Pakistan neither wants to engage in another massive counterterrorism operation nor does it want Chinese security forces to guard CPEC projects. Yet, $30 billion of its $126-billion total external foreign debt is owed to China. It is also seeking another $7 billion from the International Monetary Fund. Not a pretty picture: not for Pakistan, not for China, and certainly not for the CPEC.

(Aditi Bhaduri is a journalist and political analyst. She has translated the works of Nicholas Roerich from Russian to English)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

People remove mud from the courtyard of their houses after floods in Maymana, the capital city of Faryab Province, Afghanistan. File
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Fresh floods killed 66 people in northern Afghanistan, a provincial official said on Sunday, after weeks of flooding that has inundated farms and villages and swept away swathes of communities.

Hundreds of people have died in flash floods this month that have also swamped agricultural lands in a country where 80% of the population depends on farming to survive.

The latest heavy floods hit multiple districts of Faryab province on Saturday night and “resulted in human and financial losses,” said Asmatullah Muradi, spokesman for the Faryab governor, in a statement.

“Due to the floods 66 people were killed,” he said, adding that at least five persons were injured and others were still missing.

1,500 houses hit

The flooding damaged more than 1,500 houses, swamped more than 1,000 acres of agricultural land and killed hundreds of livestock, he said.

The floods came a day after provincial police said more than 50 people were killed in flash flooding in the western province of Ghor.

Just over a week ago, more than 300 people were killed by torrents in northern Baghlan province, according to the UN World Food Programme.

Taliban officials have warned the tolls would go up in regions impacted by flooding, as destroyed infrastructure hampered aid delivery and efforts to find the missing.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai, center, Pakistan’s newly elected lawmaker from Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party
| Photo Credit: AP

The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) backed by Imran Khan’s party on Saturday named the Pashtun­khwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as their presidential candidate against Asif Ali Zardari, the joint nominee of the PML-N and the PPP.

Mr. Achakzai, 75, was nominated for the post against the Pakistan Peoples Party’s senior leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari, Geo News reported.

Mr. Zardari, 68, is a joint candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and other political parties part of the coalition set to form a government in the Centre.

Mr. Achakzai, the chief of Pashtun­khwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), won the National Assembly seat from the NA-266 constituency in Balochistan’s Kila Abdullah-cum-Chaman.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, who is incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, has urged his party’s lawmakers to vote for the veteran politician, The News International reported.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has confirmed the nomination of Mr. Achakzai for the presidential poll.

It should be noted that a PTI delegation, led by party leader Asad Qaiser, met with Mr. Achakzai and Balochistan National Party (Mengal) chief Akhtar Mengal earlier this week to seek their support in raising the voice against “rigging” in the general elections held last month.

During the meeting, Mr. Achakzai extended his party’s support for every political party that works towards the Constitution’s supremacy and empowering the Parliament.

According to a notification issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday, the presidential election is set to take place on March 9.

The nomination papers of Mr. Zardari for the presidential elections will be submitted on Saturday.

Mr. Zardari was announced as the consensus candidate for the country’s top constitutional office after the PML-N and the PPP decided to form the coalition when neither of the two parties managed to secure a clear majority in the February 8 polls.

Mr. Zardari has previously served as the president from September 2008 to 2013.

On September 8, 2023, Dr Arif Alvi became the fourth democratically elected president to complete a five-year term. However, in the absence of the electoral college required to elect the president, he is still in office.

Under the law, the president is elected by members of the National Assembly, Senate and four provincial assemblies.

China has refused to further expand cooperation in the areas of energy, water management, and climate change under the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), it emerged on September 25, signalling a strain in the ‘ironclad’ friendship between the two all-weather allies.

Cash-strapped Pakistan also gave up its opposition to setting up a new imported coal-fired power plant in Gwadar in Balochistan province and agreed to a number of Chinese demands to address Beijing’s concerns, The Express Tribune newspaper reported, citing the signed minutes of the 11th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the CPEC.

The JCC is a strategic decision-making body of the CPEC and its 11th meeting was held virtually on October 27 last year on the insistence of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government that wanted to showcase some progress.

However, the minutes of the meeting were signed almost a year later on July 31 during the visit of Chinese vice premier He Lifeng, highlighting the difference of opinions on both sides that led to such a huge delay in reaching a consensus, the report said.

When contacted, the Ministry of Planning stated that it was a global practice for the minutes of meetings between two countries to be signed by both sides only after due consultation and evolving consensus.

Interestingly, the final draft shared with Beijing by Pakistan and the final minutes signed by both sides were different in many ways, the report said.

China’s disagreement to further expand cooperation in areas of energy, water management, and climate change under the CPEC underscores “the challenges that both the sides are facing in deepening the economic ties”, it said.

The $60 billion CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China’s ambitious multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world.

The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The details of the final minutes of the 11th JCC showed that China did not agree to a host of measures that Pakistan had proposed in the areas of energy, water management, climate change and tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, PoK and the coastal areas.

China excluded cooperation in the areas of cross-border tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, PoK and cooperation for the promotion of coastal tourism from the final minutes, the details showed.

China also did not agree to Pakistan’s proposal for the inclusion of Water Resources Management and Climate Change and Urban Infrastructure Development in the CPEC framework. The proposal for setting up a new joint working group on water resources management and climate change was also rejected by China.

China excluded the issue of financial challenges being faced by the power companies from the final minutes.

Beijing also did not agree to a proposal to include a 500kv transmission line from Hub to Gwadar to link the seaport city with the national grid in the CPEC framework.

China did not agree to “carry out joint studies for future development of Thar coal blocks, including development of mega power parks and power evacuation infrastructure, with a view to meet Pakistan’s energy needs from indigenous resources, conversion of coal into other products for domestic demand as well as exports”, the report said.

Similarly, there is no mention of the South-North gas pipeline project in the final minutes. The draft minutes mentioned the examination of a feasibility study and Chinese cooperation for the purpose.

Pakistan had proposed Chinese participation in a strategic underground gas storage project but there is no mention of this mega project in the final minutes.

Islamabad had also proposed the participation of China in the national seismic study for sedimentary areas and sought Chinese equipment. But this idea is also shelved at the bilateral level.

Pakistan proposed joint exploration, development, and marketing of metallic minerals and sought Chinese technology, but the final minutes were silent on this issue too, according to the Express Tribune report.

China also did not agree to Pakistan’s proposal of developing a policy framework for coal gasification to fertiliser projects based on Thar coal.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has given significant concessions to China on the issue of setting up the 300MW Gwadar Power Plant.

Islamabad wanted to either shelve the 300MW project or change its location to Thar to use the local coal. However, China did not agree to it, the report said.

Pakistan also wanted the conversion of the imported fuel-based Gwadar plant to Thar coal to address energy security and liquidity issues to which China did not agree.

Pakistan also committed that it would follow the consensus reached by two sides, and will direct the Pakistani power purchase companies to stop deducting the capacity power rate and return the deducted power rate.

To ensure the normal operations of CPEC power projects, the Pakistani side promised to take necessary measures to ensure timely exchange to US dollars for CPEC power projects to buy necessary fuels, the report said.