India is twisting in pain since the conception and inception of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and is running out of its options to stop this project of the regional importance. It is equally strange that the Indian media, intelligentsia as well as the political elite is showing sympathy for Pakistan and is creating doubts about the mega project in the region. No doubt India is the wicked, staunchest and the worst enemy of Pakistan and is doing everything possible to harm Pakistan’s interests. In this situation, it is a million dollar question why India is concerned about the well-being of Pakistan and its media is not tired of warning Islamabad about the possible consequences of the CPEC project. India is aggressively using media organizations and paid analysts to disseminate negative opinions about China’s much-hyped Belt and Road Initiative and downplay its role in regional connectivity. Unfortunately, some US analysts have chosen the line of Indian propagandists and are blindly following the Indian chorus against the CPEC. They call the project vague which is launched and promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping to bridge the Eurasian countries with one another.
The political elite in Pakistan is boasting of the CPEC project which it deems will help address chronic electricity generation problem, upgrade rail and road network, construct special economic zones and boost economy. But the Indian media predicts the benefits of the CPEC will be hardly materialized in the given situation. Instead, the country will be burdened with unserviceable debts and will create fissures in its internal security. On another note, Pakistanis also hope that the corridor project will not only resolve electricity shortages, but will also develop infrastructure, boost national economy, bring out the nation from alleged isolation, and diminish the hegemonic role of the United States in the region.
However, the Pakistani government should think over the voices of concern from India and launch a counter-strategy to check pros and cons of the corridor project. The general view in Pakistan is that India is making a mistake by not joining the project which can give it access to Afghanistan and beyond. But a general study and research on the negative implications of the CPEC is necessary to remove the doubts from the minds of the people. If such a steady has already been conducted, it should be published forthwith.
