Chinese engineers forced to keep AK47s while working in Pakistan

Most of Pakistan's troubles have been the result of Chinese involvement in its internal affairs.

New Delhi, First Published Jul 22, 2021, 2:47 PM IST | Last Updated Jul 22, 2021, 2:48 PM IST

Many photos have been doing the rounds of social media that depict Chinese workers carrying out maintenance tasks at various China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects in Pakistan, armed not just with their toolkits but AK-47s, to protect themselves.

The shocking development seems to be an outcome of the July 14 terror attack on a vehicle carrying Chinese engineers to the Dasu dam site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Upper Kohistan, which killed nine Chinese nationals.

A massive amount of Chinese funds have been invested in creating, training and equipping two Special Security Divisions -- the 34 and 44 Light Infantry divisions -- with 15,000 troops each.

Sources said that the Pakistan Army had sought and received funds for equipping the Special Security Divisions. However, they have failed to execute their duties and have been at the receiving end of insurgent attacks. The most deadly of these attacks were carried out in Ormara in October 2020 when 14 Pakistani security personnel were dragged out of a bus and killed by Baloch militants.

The Pakistan army protects the Chinese workers and engineers around the clock. There have been many near-riot situations where fistfights have turned ugly, especially when the Chinese use Pakistani Army vehicles to frequently visit red-light areas, the source added.

As per the track record, most of Pakistan's troubles have been the result of Chinese involvement in its internal affairs.

The Red Mosque episode, which brought to light the tensions between the Pakistani establishment and armed extremist groups, was the trigger to an orgy of violence that has claimed countless Pakistani lives and plunged the country into chaos.

The abduction of Chinese 'massage women' near the Red Mosque neighbourhood sparked off a chain of events that saw the Chinese ambassador holding former President Pervez Musharraf's hands as the latter used armed soldiers to barge into the mosque.

The siege resulted in the death of countless devotees and scores of Pakistani commandos.

Special Security Division officers have also been implicated for embezzlement of Chinese funds.

As for the funds that were not misappropriated, the Pakistani establishment used them to purchase artillery weapons and combat helicopters. Except that these purchases did exactly come under the ambit of protecting human assets from terrorists.

Chinese engineers forced to keep AK47s while working in Pakistan-VPN

The July 14 blast was not the first attack against the Chinese, whose work ethic and aggressive nature at the CPEC project sites has upset the locals.

The ongoing clashes in Afghanistan have activated the western border of Pakistan with groups like the Islamic State and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan targeting Pakistani troops.

Recent photos where Chinese engineers can be seen working with AK-47s slung on their shoulders expose the sham of the Special Security Division.

Sources say that ever since the Taliban offensive intensified in Afghanistan, the Chinese have been quietly paying off the Taliban and the Haqqani Network to halt attacks on Chinese interests.

The guns seen in possession of the Chinese engineers are most likely bought off the shelf from the Haqqanis.

"The Chinese workers are not known for their compassionate behaviour towards other nationalities. This has been evident from their actions in large parts of Africa and Pakistan where they have assaulted Pakistani soldiers and gotten away with it. It is only a matter of time before the Chinese nationals spray their bullets in anger, causing mass casualties," sources added.

Pakistan's ISI even tried to deflect the anger by attempting to run hashtags on Twitter such as hashtag 'CPECMakingProgress', but all in vain as the entire Belt and Road Initiative's pivot in South Asia threatens to implode in Pakistan, creating conditions for chaos and anarchy.

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