Pakistan

No world power can sabotage CPEC: Nisar

Kulbushan Jadhav will not be given consular access, says interior minister

Our Correspondent June 07, 2016

A view of the port city of Gwadar. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD: The security czar has said that Pakistan knows some countries are conspiring against the multibillion-dollar project to connect the Gwadar port to southwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang through a network of roads and railway lines.

“Some countries are opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but no power in the world can stop this project from materialising,” Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said while speaking to journalists after inaugurating the Islamabad Safe City Project in Sector H-11.

Kashmiri leaders express support for CPEC

About the arrest of Indian spy by Pakistani forces, Nisar said he would not be given consular access. “Kulbhushan Jadhav is not a common Indian citizen. He entered Pakistan as an enemy and the government has decided not to give him consular access,” he added.

Kulbhushan, a former Indian naval officer, was arrested on charges of espionage in Balochistan two months ago after entering Pakistan from Iran, according to security officials. He was charged with planning subversive activities after he confessed his involvement in terror activities across Balochistan at the behest of RAW, the premier Indian intelligence agency.

In April, Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had asked for access to the spy during a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Chaudhry.

Talking to the media on Monday, Nisar however ruled out the possibility. “We have decided not to grant consular access to the Indian agent,” he said. “Kulbhushan is an Indian agent, who came to Pakistan with ulterior motives.”

CPEC: Delegation visits China for six-day tour

Nisar said funds for the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) were available. A government building has been hired for Nacta and now the funds, which might have been used to pay the rent of a rented building, would be used on the renovation of the government building.

About the re-verification of identity cards, he said the challenging task would be accomplished at all cost.

He said the process had not yet properly started but citizens were already sharing information on fake identity cards of foreigners. He added the re-verification process would begin this month.

Safe City project

Earlier, Nisar inaugurated the Safe Cities project in Islamabad, a technology-based security system, which will ensure the security of residents.

About 1,800 surveillance cameras have been installed across the federal capital at a cost of Rs126 million.

Flagship initiative: ‘CPEC to speed up economic cooperation’

The cameras will monitor all important buildings, entry and exit polls, roads, commercial centres and the major blocks in residential areas. The command and control centre of the project in housed inside a bombproof building in Sector H-11.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (26)

Sami Shahid | 8 years ago | Reply Pakistan should send back all the afghan refugees back....and than see how India and Afghanistan will cry.

Hassan Ilyas | 8 years ago | Reply @Pankaj: hahaha seems like u got what abreez said...will u please come out of this bollywood dialogues and life,Now remember this, ''no power on earth can sabotage CPEC''. hope u git it now.

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Pankaj | 8 years ago | Reply @sridhar: You did not understand, what Abreez said.

Sunil | 8 years ago | Reply Do not forget there is a shorter and secure root through Iran, that is more then a rival to your so called CPEC. No one has to do anything to "sabotage" it, you are doing a good job with your own non-state actors and internal fighting between different Muslim groups.

Noddy | 8 years ago | Reply Sure ! No world power can sabotage CPEC Project, True!! But what happens when Chabahar Port becomes operational, and all the countries have access to it ?

Ishrat Salim | 8 years ago | Reply We are ourselves the biggest enemy when our planners ignore small provinces, prioritise eastern route instead of western route etc; Gadani power project under CPEC has been abandoned to start with. Chinese are not happy because matching pak Rs is not forthcoming nor it is reflected in 2916-17 budget. You want to know more....

Parvez | 8 years ago | Reply @abreez: Well said.

curious2 | 8 years ago | Reply @P Sethi:

Strong words. But the route is through Balochistan. It will take a lot of money to protect it.

That's true. But I would argue that 80 percent of CPEC is about overpriced Chinese power plants and Balochistan doesn't influence that much.

Humza | 8 years ago | Reply @IBN E ASHFAQUE: You forget that CPEC is being brought into realization by PML N when no one said it could be done. Even Imran Khan called CPEC a mirage that was created by Nawaz to distract people from reality. Now that everyone sees its reality, they are changing their tunes ! I know people complained about Nawaz's motorways too but look at how Pakistan relies on them now. The same will be with CPEC and Gwadar that Nawaz is finally getting up. There is a reason why Western institutions like Moodys, Finches and Standard and Poors have all upgraded Pakistan's ranking under PML N.

sabi | 8 years ago | Reply Comment above suggest only two parties can not digest cpec one is India,second the defeated group of Ik and his supporters. Rest, the whole world is appreciative.

quatro | 8 years ago | Reply Few care about CPEC except Pakistan. Your enemies think the debt burden alone will damage and perhaps destroy Pakistan ... at a minimum you will have the most expensive power plants on the planet. The likely fallout of CPEC will be a destruction of the myth of Chinese/Pakistan special relationship.

P Sethi | 8 years ago | Reply Forget worldly power. There is no power in Balochistan.

P Sethi | 8 years ago | Reply Strong words. But the route is through Balochistan. It will take a lot of money to protect it.

Shahid Akram | 8 years ago | Reply CPEC will never be build if our politician will behave like this.

Vikram Solanki | 8 years ago | Reply Most of the time he sounds like ‘Maula Jatt’ comes out of nowhere and give a statement which seems like only for the ears of establishment.

sridhar | 8 years ago | Reply Pakistani politicians are stupid to assume there is a threat to CPEC. India is finding a way of bypassing Pakistan via Chabahar port because Pakistan did not give India transit route facility. That is all.

IBN E ASHFAQUE | 8 years ago | Reply CPEC will be killed by the GREED and OPAQUENESS of PML (N). Their policy of no engagement no consensus no discussion with other stakeholders will eventually kill CPEC.

wiserneighbour | 8 years ago | Reply Why you need world powers to sabotage? Yourselves are capable of doing it.Pakistan is hiding facts in case of Kulbhushan Yadav .So no consular access.Taliban captured an Indian businessman and delivered to Pak establishment.Establishment concocted papers. forcefully and tutored video recorded.Now if India access him,truth will be out.You can get any kind of confession under torture.

Ramesh Krishnan | 8 years ago | Reply India is not concerned about economic development of Pakistan..We are worried about the Chinese aggression in Arabian Sea...Chinese are planning to make Gwadar a naval base for their navy...

sridhar | 8 years ago | Reply @abreez: Your style being: let chinese do it and we will just watch from sidelines!

BlackHat | 8 years ago | Reply Why so much paranoia? Can Pakistani rulers ever come up with any constructive agenda? Surely, no power can disrupt implementation of CPEC. Assuming some are out to do that, isn't it a better way to build linkages with neighboring countries, reap added benefits and assure a grander success of the project? In fact, it is like having the cake and eating it too. It is like having the infrastructure, it's concomitant strategic value (in times of need), it's military value and raking in transit and other fees, having an economic leverage over adversarial countries. I am sure China would look at the project from that angle. Think about it, if this was the idea, Chahbahar development wouldn't even have started as that would have proven to be redundant, more expensive and less remunerative. There would have been no competition. You would have boxed in your "enemies". CPEC, unlike any other project, is more valuable only in times of peace on account of the terrain it passes through. The tunnels and bridges in the Karakoram are vulnerable sitting ducks in time of war. There is something totally irrational, unpragmatic in the policies being pursued, almost like wishful thinking, more like day dreaming. Pakistan should get out blackmail business and begin to use its location, it's resources and it's hardworking, talented citizens for the benefit of the common man. Is it really hard to see the present course of violent, armed religious extremism is going to lead to doom and destruction? Can something good ever come out of bad (including the Good Taliban)?

Samir | 8 years ago | Reply No world power is trying to sabotage CPEC, mai baap. Why should they? Pakistan will sabotage itself.<CR For why? For because here we have a project based in Baluchistan with no particular benefits for Baluchistan. The Baluch already resent the passive role assigned to them. They have grievances about how badly they've been treated in the past. They have serious qualms over Pakistan's sovereignty over Baluchistan.<CR Get the picture? No saboteurs needed from abroad.<CR Once Pakistan starts paying 18% annual interest on billions of dollars of debt owed to the Chinese, I wonder what will happen.

Faraz | 8 years ago | Reply But what will happen to local manufacturers with CPEC.. We want answer Nisar sb.

whatever | 8 years ago | Reply Nisar "We have decided not to grant consular access to the Indian agent" what Pakistan is hiding? If Indian govt owning its citizen and wants to have a fair trial then why Pakistan is reluctant!! it seems Pakistanis don't have faith on its own judiciary. Its a new India under Modi, it will not allow any injustice on its citizen whether it has to take head on to USA too.

abreez | 8 years ago | Reply No world power can sabotage CPEC, we’ll do the task in our own style.

someone | 8 years ago | Reply I sincerely hope CPEC completes as soon as possible, because once Chinese are heavily invested in Pakistan, they won't let be jeopardized by "non state" actors and would force Pakistan to mend it's ways. :-).

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