Victimised for decades by one regime after another, the people of Balochistan province in Pakistan have stepped up their protest against the Imran Khan government's latest move to fence the port city of Gwadar in the name of security. The southwestern city, leased to the China Overseas Port Holding Company for 40 years as a Long Term Plan (LTP) for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), not only serves as a port of exit for minerals from Balochistan but is also of a great strategic interest to China under its ambitious and expansionist Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project.

CPEC has been dubbed as BRI's flagship project and has had a devastating impact on human rights situation in Pakistan -- right from its starting point in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Gilgit-Baltistan till the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar.

"The decision of the federal government to fence the port city amounts to divide it into two parts. In an era when the Berlin Wall fell, the city is being divided under the garb of security concerns. It has raised serious concerns amongst people of the area," former Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani said in a statement.

The locals, already dealt a severe blow by the increasing presence of the Chinese and the atrocities of the state-sponsored death squads, have realised that the fencing of the city is being done to alienate them further. Not too long ago, the country's political and military leadership, including the Prime Minister himself, was harping on how CPEC would be a 'game-changer' for the province infamous for its human rights violations, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings.

It would now soon have Pakistan's first 'sealed city' on the shore of the Arabian Sea.

"The new term 'south Balochistan' to describe the region historically known as Makran is making locals suspicious; they believe it could be an attempt to separate the region administratively from the rest of the province. Usually, fencing is considered one of the last resorts to deal with trans-border security threats and vulnerabilities. Fencing cities would, therefore, require even stronger reasons," writes Muhammad Amir Rana, a security analyst, in Pakistan's leading daily Dawn.

The 'reason' is Pakistan's fear of the unknown. The country's establishment believes that certain forces are out to sabotage the CPEC corridor connecting Kashgar in South Xinjiang to Gwadar in Balochistan. The so-called 'enhanced' security threat to the belt is now being used as a pretence by the government to curb the growing unrest in Balochistan and on people already suffering massive oppression at the hands of Pakistani authorities.

The Baloch National Movement (BNM) which has for long been voicing concerns that Pakistan wants to increase the exploitation of the Baloch nation under the guise of euphoric slogans of development, says it will launch an online social media campaign against the fencing of Gwadar from Thursday.

Khalil Baloch, chairman of the BNM, has termed the process of fencing as inhumane saying it is the beginning of a conspiracy to separate the coast from the Baloch homeland and is being done to ambush them in the name of development, loot the province shores and resources.

"The whole of Balochistan, including Gwadar, has turned into military barracks. The imperialist state of China is also fully complicit in this exploitative process. Occupation of Gwadar lands, eviction of fishermen from the sea and formation of trailer mafia are the links in this series," said Baloch.

The links run much deeper. 'Iron brother' China establishing a stronghold in Pakistan from Gilgit to Gwadar is a big worry for the locals but not the Pakistani deep state. Cities, ports and islands like Bundal and Buddo in Sindh are falling into the dragon's laps quite easily.

As Zafar Sahito, a Sindhi nationalist and writer tweeted a few days ago: Balochs not allowed in their own land (Gwadar), Sindhi not allowed on their islands, Pashtuns not allowed in their land, Gilgit-Baltistani not allowed in their land, Pakistan is only for Islamist groups, Pakistan Army, Chinese, Turks and invaders."

(Under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

(IANS)