India’s relations with most of its neighbors tell a tale of tensions and animosities. Today, the growing wave of Hindu nationalism is making the region head toward greater instability. The Indian national media and academia, which have been in the habit of misrepresenting facts and building false narratives, are taking on a more central role in supporting the Hindutva-driven policies of the Indian government. The dispassionate and false reports about the nature of Pakistan`s relations with China, which the latter refers to as `Iron Brother`, manifestly aim to debilitate China-Pakistan friendship through mendacious propaganda. For the past seven decades, relations between China and Pakistan have evolved based on mutual trust, respect, and goodwill and the shared goals and commitments for promoting broader regional interests. However, India`s self-assumed role as a regional hegemon poses challenges to regional peace and economic development.

In recent years, despite the complexities in global and regional affairs, Islamabad and Beijing have taken steps for their mutual benefit. China, avoiding the temptation to play political favorites in Pakistan, supports Pakistan`s stance on many regional and international issues and extends economic cooperation. Likewise, strategically located Pakistan serves as a key country to China`s interests in the region and beyond, giving China access to vital trade routes regional connectivity, and global outreach. Since the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), there has been an increase in media campaigns portraying the mega project as a tool of China`s influence over Pakistan. For instance, there is an argument that the infrastructure development projects under CPEC are only benefiting China while leaving Pakistan heavily burdened with debt. However, the true picture of bilateral cooperation dispels the notion of a debt trap and tells a different story. CPEC has injected a fresh impetus into cooperation between China and Pakistan. It has played a significant role in the socio-economic development of Pakistan, attracting profuse investments, providing 236,000 direct job opportunities, and constructing highways, power plants, transmission lines, and fiber optics. In addition, through collaboration in various sectors such as technology, health, and green development, CPEC has opened the window of opportunities for innovation and development.

In a bid to overcome the economic crisis, Pakistan recently established the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a dedicated body that has been given the mandate to create a conducive environment for investment in areas of defense, agriculture, minerals, information technology, telecommunication, and energy. SIFC will make efforts to improve the ease of doing business by decreasing the cost of business and establishing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to facilitate business. SIFZ is headed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and includes all federal and provincial ministers and secretaries. With many Chinese companies already showing their interest in establishing SEZs, SIFC is expected to materialize the available investment under CPEC, add substantial amounts to foreign reserves, and create jobs. It is worth emphasizing that civil nuclear cooperation between China and Pakistan solely aims to promote peaceful uses of nuclear technology and revive Pakistan`s energy sector operating in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. At a time when Pakistan`s energy crisis is deepening with deep impacts on the country`s industrial sector and economic growth, the Chinese cooperation is a milestone that has further enhanced energy security and advanced socio-economic development. The civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries has helped Pakistan increase the capacity of nuclear energy and boost the power sector by providing electricity to the national grid at low cost and addressing the energy supply issues by reducing energy import reliance and saving foreign exchange reserves which are key to the economic stability of the country. Recognizing Pakistan`s remarkable record of nuclear safety and security, the IAEA is collaborating with Pakistan to promote the peaceful application of nuclear technology. The recent incident of the seizure of a Pakistani commercial ship is another example of the Indian government and its national media`s propagation of fabricated narratives. On January 23, the Indian authorities, violating international norms, seized a commercial ship that was heading to Karachi from China at Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva Port, unjustly claiming that the materials on the ship were connected to Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs. The seizure was unjustified and based on unverified claims and misinformation, indicting the Indian government’s attempts to tarnish Pakistan`s image concerning its nuclear program and its status as a responsible nuclear state.

In sum, a narrative is wrongfully portrayed that China is suffocating Pakistan`s interests and autonomy. India`s policies in the region have been the main barrier to the region`s peace and prosperity. India is the only country in the region that openly opposes CPEC, trying to undermine it by spreading misinformation about it, and sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan to obstruct the development progress. In recent years, the Modi government’s Hindutva-driven policies have resulted in the intensification of regional disputes and rivalries. The Indian government’s actions in Kashmir, its aggressive military posture, and unjustified military buildups have added to the complexity of the regional security environment. Moreover, its network of extra-territorial killings has become a concerning issue globally. India`s negative role in the region has been a major hurdle in the way of peace and stability in the region as well as evolved into a global problem, thus calling into question the role of the international community.

Sher Ali Kakar
The write is working as a Research Officer in Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN), at BUITEMS Quetta.