Quetta: Is China planning to deploy troops in Balochistan to ensure progress of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) up to the Gwadar port, despite protests by the local population?
In an open letter written to India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar, Baloch leader Mir Yar Baloch has claimed that China could deploy its military forces in Pakistan’s Balochistan province within the next few months.
The deepening China-Pakistan alliance poses a serious threat, the Baloch leader has said.
In the letter, posted on X on New Year’s Day, Mir said that Baloch representatives view the growing strategic partnership between Islamabad and Beijing as “dangerous”.
Balochistan has faced decades of repression under Pakistan’s control, including what he described as state-sponsored violence and human rights abuses, he said, as reported by ANI.
“The people of Balochistan have endured Pakistan’s state occupation, state-sponsored terrorism, and egregious human rights atrocities for the past seventy-nine years. The time has now arrived to eradicate this festering affliction at its roots, ensuring lasting peace and sovereignty for our nation, ” he wrote.
In the letter, Mir also noted that China and Pakistan are moving rapidly towards the final stages of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship Belt and Road Initiative project of Chinese President Xi Jinping that runs through Balochistan.
“The Republic of Balochistan views the escalating strategic alliance between Pakistan and China as profoundly dangerous. We warn that China, in collaboration with Pakistan, has advanced the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to its final phases,” he said.
Unless Baloch resistance and defence forces are strengthened and taken seriously, the region could soon witness a direct Chinese military presence, he warned.
“Should the capabilities of Balochistan’s defense and freedom forces not be further bolstered and if they continue to be overlooked as per longstanding patterns, it is conceivable that China could deploy its military forces in Balochistan within a few months,” it has been stated in the letter.
Any Chinese troop deployment in Balochistan, without the consent of the local population, would have wider regional consequences, he has said.
“The presence of Chinese boots on Balochistani soil without the will of the 60 million Baloch people would pose an unimaginable threat and challenge to the futures of both Bharat and Balochistan,” he wrote.
The allegations of military expansion have been repeatedly denied by both China and Pakistan. Both have maintained that the project is economic in nature. India, however, has consistently opposed CPEC, stating that it passes through Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and raises sovereignty and security concerns.
“Government’s position on CPEC is clear and consistent. Government has consistently protested to parties concerned over the inclusion of the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)’, which passes through parts of the Indian Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir under illegal occupation of Pakistan, as a flagship project of ‘OBOR/BRI’ and asked them to cease these activities. Any proposed participation of third countries or expansion of the so-called CPEC projects to third countries is unacceptable,” minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh had apprised the Rajya Sabha earlier in 2025.
In his letter, Mir also commended Indian strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Sindoor.
“We commend the bold and resolute actions undertaken by the Modi Government in the previous year through Operation Sindoor, particularly targeting terrorism hubs facilitated by Pakistan and directed against the Pakistani military in response to Pahalgam terror attack. These measures demonstrate exemplary courage and a steadfast commitment to regional security and justice, ” he wrote.
The Indian government has not yet officially reacted to the letter. Pakistani and Chinese authorities have also not issued any official statements on the subject.
