OBOR News & Developments

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/n...on-leaders-seek-india-s-help-against-pak-army

Baloch, Sindh, Pakhtoon leaders seek India’s help against Pak army


While Balochistan has publicly asked for India’s help to fight Pakistan and gain freedom from it, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces’ leaders living abroad have also started speaking about Pakistan’s “atrocities” against their people.
While Balochistan has publicly asked for India’s help to fight Pakistan and gain freedom from it, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces’ leaders living abroad have also started speaking about Pakistan’s “atrocities” against their people, thus hinting towards an alliance among the three provinces against Pakistan, backed by India.

Umar Daud Khattak, a Pakhtoon born in Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, has urged the Indian government to facilitate and support such an alliance to fight Pakistan and said, “For Sindhis, Pakhtoons and Balochs, the real Pakistan only constitutes of Punjabis. The residents of none of the provinces identify themselves as Pakistanis. With India’s support, the separatist leaders of these three provinces will willingly come together. India should help us leave Pakistan.”

On why India should help Pakhtoons, Khattak talked about the extent of geographical dominance that India can practise if it helps the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Pakhtoons want a free Pashtunistan, which would include FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), Khyber Pankhtunkhwa (KP) and the part of KP which was earlier annexed by Pakistan. There are about 15 million Pakhtoons in FATA, who would willingly take on the Pakistan army any day, if India helps them. These Pakhtoons in FATA are united by their disgust for Pakistan because Pakistan made FATA its military backyard. Helping Pakhtoons to fight Pakistan in FATA can give India geographical advantage and impair Pakistan’s various extremist units’ operations,” Khattak said.

Another major reason why India should help Pakhtoons, according to Khattak, is, “There are a significant number of Pakhtoons in the Pakistan army. If they know that India is supporting the liberation of KP from Pakistan, they will defect from the army. Pakistan’s militants who have ruined Kashmir have also been trained in FATA. Helping FATA would mean helping Kashmir.”

Sindhi separatist leaders who have been living in exile, too, welcome India’s help in such an alliance, but prefer to talk about it in hushed tones. Shafi Mohammad Burfat, a prominent Sindh Nationalist Movement leader, who is living in exile in Germany, said, “Historically, culturally and morally, Sindh is different from Pakistan and closer to India. Neither are we Sindhis religious extremists, nor do we want to be identified as that. Sindhis are Sufi people. The Rig Veda that defines Hinduism, was written in Sindh and with the advent of the Mughals came Islam. Sindh has been a multi-cultural space, but Pakistan has ruined it. My name is Mohammad, but I follow Shivism; that is what we Sindhis are like. India has every reason to help us and save the roots of Hinduism in Sindh.”

Dr Hyder Lashari, chairman of G.M. Sayed Studies Board and a senior political leader from Sindh province of Pakistan, living in New York, explained what unites Sindhis, Balochs and Pakhtoons: “The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the immediate concern. It will start from Gwadar port of Balochistan and Karachi port of Sindh and will affect the tribal area of KP. Punjabis want to colonise Gwadar and Sindh, while creating a safe zone in tribal KP. They have also planned to let the Chinese colonise our lands. Three nations are facing genocidal operations from Pakistan, while China is ignoring this fact.”

Dr Lashari said, “Without an alliance of victimised and oppressed nations, it is hard to win freedom from Pakistan’s imperialism. We Sindhis think of Balochs and Pakhtoons as our brothers. Our leader Sain G.M. Sayed, Pakhtoon leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Baloch leaders Nawab Khair Baksh Marri and Nawab Akbar Bugti were colleagues, too, who shared similar nationalist interests. We have an unofficial alliance with Balochs and Pakhtoons, but we are planning to do more.”

 

[Neo]

2016: The year of the CPEC
KHURRAM HUSAIN

It was conceived back in the 1990s, and the first approach to Pakistan from China about connecting China’s western provinces to the Arabian Sea came in 1999. Gwadar port was built in the mid-2000s, and many of the MoUs were signed after 2010.

The key agreement for the projects to be listed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was signed in 2013, and term sheets for them were signed during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan in 2015. But the outgoing year was when work began in earnest.

In 2016, Pakistan’s first utility-scale solar power generation plant went into commercial operations, digging began in the Thar desert for a coal-fired mine mouth power plant, and the first trade convoy carrying goods from China travelled down the newly constructed roads of the western route and arrived in Gwadar for a large ceremonial send-off.

Examine: Tale of two CPECs

The shape and outlines of the corridor projects first began to appear before us in this year, and decades from now when historians would look back at the origins of Pakistan’s tight embrace of China, they will identify 2016 as the year in which it all started happening.

But the year also brought its share of unanticipated consequences. It was the year when numerous projects were found to have defective feasibility studies, or when they were found to be financially un-viable.

The largest CPEC power project, the coal-fired power plants at Gadani, was ‘shelved’ during the year, and the coal project in Kalar Kahar was cancelled altogether.

The solar tariff upon which the first solar power plant at Quaid-e-Azam park in Bahawalpur was built, was found by Nepra to be unworkable, forcing the regulator to revisit the tariff and prompting a court challenge that will likely roll into the next year.

Until that matter is resolved, further investments in solar will remain blocked. Wind tariffs are similarly in turmoil with a string of review petitions awaiting a hearing.

This is the year when Pakistan began to learn what CPEC really is. The perils and promises alike took shape. If the venture is a ‘game-changer’, as is being claimed by the government, then the myriad hearings, successes, and court cases of the year gone by would suggest that the game is a long one.

If it is not a game changer, as the sceptics claim, then the problems that pinned down the implementation of many of the projects will eventually grow to engulf the corridor has a whole. It will be a few more years before judgement can be passed on this important question, but the answer began cropping up for the first time in 2016.

This was also the year in which the controversy surrounding the route of the proposed road infrastructure subsided. A few stray comments aside, the string of resolutions being passed in provincial assemblies slowed to a trickle and attention turned towards the more substantive issues of financing instead.

It was also the year in which the security question marks began to fade away, as the insurgency in Balochistan subsided (although they did not disappear), with roadside shootings and IED attacks coming down sharply. Security remains a big concern for the future, but it has certainly been reduced.

Alongside the reduction in security threats, the costs of the new security architecture also appeared during the year. The so-called CPEC security force was created in the second half of last year, but its deployment and future size took concrete shape in 2016.

A maritime security force to protect CPEC-related shipping was also launched during the year.

The year also saw the financial impact of the force, as the government began asking the provinces to share the burden of the costs (estimated at almost 3pc of the federal divisible pool), and the provinces gearing up to resist. All this happened in the closing months of the year, and from here on, the issues around burden-sharing are likely to grow to eventually overshadow the controversies surrounding the route plan.

The year has been a pivotal one for CPEC. Many of the questions regarding the project were answered, and new ones raised. What the project means for Pakistan and what it will look like upon completion also came into sharper relief.

The depth of the controversies surrounding the project was also revealed. The reality of the project was revealed, as well as the rhetoric. However, the battle between reality and rhetoric is likely to intensify as the implementation stage moves forward.

Today CPEC stands as the only answer Pakistan can give to any of its challenges. It is expected to bridge the power crisis for us, revive exports, create jobs, serve as the motor force for the growth rate of the economy, create demand and infrastructure, and address urban congestion through mass transit schemes.

It is also being tapped as the solution to a persistent slump in agriculture as well as creating the grounds for greater cultural exchanges between both countries. How much of this is reality and how much rhetoric? The year 2016 is when this question was launched, and how it plays it out in years to come will be central in deciding how much of a ‘game-changer’ the project turns out to be.

For China, the year 2016 was when the country began to discover the complexities of doing business in Pakistan. The raft of Chinese investments that are already in Pakistan – from telecom's to oil and gas – have not encountered anything closely similar to the political controversies that the CPEC projects have been subjected to.

The new round of negotiations on the renewal of a Free Trade Agreement with China, originally signed in 2006, began this year with the government taking a slightly more strident stand in the name of domestic industry than before.

Both China and Pakistan began to discover the reality of embracing each other more tightly in 2016. In the years to come, will reality triumph over rhetoric to yield a truly strong and enduring partnership? Or will the embrace turn into a something a little more sinister? The question arose in 2016, and the answer lies in the years ahead.

 

[Neo]

Here's what to expect from Pakistan's economy in 2017

Five industry leaders share their predictions.

As we exit a tumultuous 2016 we asked industry leaders what they expect from the country’s economy in 2017. Our questions, and some of their responses, were:

Q1: There is a global movement towards protectionism. How do you see this affecting Pakistan’s economy?

Q2: 2016 saw many unexpected twists and turns in the political and economic environment. Based on the subsequent changes, which sectors of the country do you foresee as the major winners and losers in the New Year?

Shazia Syed
Chairperson and CEO, Unilever Pakistan Limited

1. “While Pakistan may not face immediate implications, our GDP does have major contributions from exports and remittances. In this backdrop, foreign investment assumes greater significance and this needs continuing improvement in the economic and security environment. Most importantly, local industry needs to step up cost efficiencies and quality standards in order to survive in this new competitive world”.

2. “With the CPEC taking shape and a possible end to the power crisis, economic outlook is positive. Major gains are already being seen by the service industry, construction sector and the auto industry with global players also entering the Pakistani market. The FMCG sector is also confident of growth being fueled by rising consumer confidence and expenditure.”

Atif Bajwa
President and CEO, Bank Alfalah

1. Replacing decades of global free-trade with protectionism, will not be easy, comprehensive or quick. Protectionism will be resisted even by Western commercial interests. In the event that a degree of protectionism does take hold, Pakistan will largely escape the negative implications, as its economy is not as trade-dependent as most Asian countries.

2. Unlike many other countries, Pakistan’s economic outlook is quite bright. Aside from falling exports and stagnant remittances, our economy is supported by range-bound oil prices, the CPEC and a tangible improvement in security. Cement, steel, bulk chemicals, consumer durables, and the power sector should do well in 2017, but there are concerns about textiles, lost opportunities in agriculture, and the disadvantages facing companies that operate in the formal sector. There is a dire need to improve the documentation of Pakistan’s economy.

Dr Shahida Qaisar
Managing Director, Pharmatec Pakistan

1. Since Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry has not been granted a price increase since 2001, we rely heavily on exports. With a global movement towards protectionism, our exports will suffer in the global market, due to a higher level of competition. With low domestic prices, and high competition abroad, profit margins have been sinking rapidly. If we see no change, the Pharmaceutical Industry in Pakistan has a grim future.

2. With the initiation of the CPEC this year, Pakistan’s economy will benefit vastly due to better infrastructure, which could lead to a higher rate of employment.

Mohammad Ali Tabba
Chief Executive Officer, Lucky Cement

1. Pakistan is one of the most liberal countries when it comes to imports. There are numerous challenges in the manufacturing sector and one of them is the very liberal import policy. Also, because of local protectionism our exports will continue to suffer while the import bill will continue to rise. Unfortunately when this thorny issue is discussed with the relevant government departments, their view is that the local industry needs extra protection to increase profitability.

2. All those industries catering to domestic consumption are doing relatively better. Inversely, export oriented sectors are the biggest losers since the cost of doing business in Pakistan is one of the highest in the region and from a global perspective — we are uncompetitive.

Dr Zeelaf Munir
Managing Director and CEO, English Biscuit Manufacturers

1. The global movement for protectionism will be another challenge to our export industry which has declined. Higher cost of production, lack of energy, institutional support and R&D remain major challenges. Trade, as opposed to protectionism, leads to the domestic industry becoming competitive and able not only to defend its domestic market share but also compete in regional and global markets. However, for this competitiveness to develop, the industry needs a level playing field in its own markets. In Pakistan, domestic manufacturers have to contend with massive under invoicing, misdeclaration in imports and outright smuggling.

2. Given the country’s huge market base and rapidly growing middle class, I believe practically all consumer goods sectors will continue to do well in 2017. However, the challenge of fiscal consolidation and tapping the undocumented economy which, by rough estimates constitutes at least the third of the documented economy, needs to be tackled more aggressively, in addition to the thriving counterfeit and intellectual property infringement sector. Otherwise the documented sector will be the loser and others will be the winner due to competitive imbalance.

 

[Neo]

Chambers voice concern at China’s plan to ‘set up industry along CPEC route’

GUJRAT: The three chambers of commerce and industry of what is termed as “golden industrial triangle” comprising Gujrat, Gujranwala and Sialkot cities, have expressed their grave concern over China’s reported plan of establishing industrial units and warehouses along the route of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The leadership of these three chambers has also urged the federal government to take the business community of these industrial cities in confidence about the nature of China’s planned industrial units in the country, warning of its adverse effect on local industry and apprehending that such a scenario might turn Pakistan into a purely consumer market, further weakening its own manufacturing sector.

These concerns were voiced by the presidents of the three chambers of commerce and industry, who gathered at the local chamber (GTCCI) the other day.

Criticising the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) for conducting raids on local manufacturing units, besides sealing and attaching the bank accounts of the business fraternity, they said rather than bringing the non-filers into the tax net, the board was creating problems for the businessmen who were already paying taxes.

The meeting was hosted by the GTCCI’s head Abrar Saeed Sheikh and attended by Sailkot chamber (SCCI) president Majid Raza Bhutta and Gujranwala chamber’s (GCCI) Saeed Ahmed Taj. They also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which these chambers would share information with each other and hold at least four joint meetings of these chambers annually. A large number of the members of these chambers were also present.

The meeting decided that the chambers’ presidents would also hold an exclusive meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to share their concerns over the Chinese industrial units along the CPEC route. It regretted the government had not taken the chambers in confidence over the issue.

Mr Abrar Saeed said the accounts of those businessmen who were in the tax net should not be sealed, nor the FBR officials should be given access to their accounts. He said such actions of the FBR were causing disillusionment among the businessmen with regard to the PML-N government.

Mr Bhutta said the local manufacturers’ concerns over the CPEC’s possible effects on the local industry should be addressed forthwith, apprehending that such a situation might hit exports from these cities.

He also sought establishment of new varsities’ campuses at such locations in the region that suited these three cities where the industry wanted to benefit from these institutions in terms of research, innovative ideas and human resource.

The chambers’ presidents also sought easing of China’s visa policy for local businessmen.

Published in Dawn January 2nd, 2017

 

[Neo]

Pakistan’s to-be thriving port suffering from crippling water scarcity
By Faran Mahmood
Published: January 2, 2017

ISLAMABAD: Imagine a deep-sea port where, while so-called development experts enjoy a breath-taking view from their regal five star hotel rooms located on the grand Koh-e-Batil hill, indigenous fishermen are left with little choice except migrating permanently to far-flung harbours.

Imagine a place where one of the most expensive commodities is a bottle of fresh water and though every now and then one finds a convoy of trucks escorted by military vehicles, fresh water tankers are scarce and expensive. Yes, this is the new boomtown – Gwadar smart port city – a project that is expected to open new vistas of bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and China.

Gwadar’s development – misgivings must be addressed

Water crisis

Through sheer courage, native people of Gwadar have shown resilience as never exhibited before. However unless the water problem is tackled with a head-on approach, Gwadar might end-up becoming a ghost town. The Ankara Kaur dam has dried up and the desalination plant has failed to work.

The Mirani dam built over river Dasht can help de-escalate the situation but it was never planned to meet the future water demands of this port city. Today Gwadar has a population of 0.12 million compared to a mere 5,000 back in year 2000 and if the population of Gwadar surpasses the 2 million mark in the next five years, average water requirements would be around 200 million gallons per day. Mirani dam, however, was intended to manage a demand of less than 10 million gallons per day.

Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) has already commissioned a study to plan expropriation and resettlement of old Gwadar population. At present, there is no strategic plan to improve socio-economic conditions of local population nor are any blue prints of a larger capacity –building programme to train them for future expected jobs.

Previously in the construction of coastal highway link from Karachi to Gwadar, hardly any local population was hired. The same episode might be repeated in future if appropriate steps are not taken to enhance the skill set of the local labour force.

The first phase in the development of Gwadar involves completion of an international airport and other port facilities by the year 2017. However, Gwadar smart port city master plan has not yet been finalised and recently GDA has stopped issuing any more NOCs to housing authorities last month after newspapers were flooded with residential schemes.

As tap water is accessible to only 5% of the population, urban planning in general and water planning in particular is extremely important to mitigate risks rising from a plethora of such housing projects.

The Gwadar master plan 2005 assumed an over simplistic view of these resource management problems – using a classic reductionist approach instead of a more inclusive and systems perspective.

Despite its rising status, Gwadar suffers from water crunch

Human trafficking woes

For hundreds of years, Gwadar has been a hub of smuggling and human trafficking but now Gwadar’s most trafficked areas are being dominated by new ‘development’ actors who tell a totally different story.

Thanks to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Gwadar port development project will benefit not only local people but masses at large living in China, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. The venture might be the biggest one in its 3,000 year history but only a holistic approach to port planning will ensure that the tale of Gwadar will have a happy ending – helping locals transform their lives and those of other ordinary people living in Central and South Asian region.

The writer is a Cambridge graduate and is working as a management consultant.

 

[Screambowl]

Neo

It doesnt look good to shout about these small projects. Even the money invested is pure chinese and not yours. Do you know what it means? Pakiytan without china cannot even build power stations and basic industry. Its a bad PR.

When India started make in India, Pakistan thought they will also do something similar. And ended up with 55 billion dollar investment from china. To build roads and powerstations. Lol

The fact is CPEC is a big corruption and if proper investigation is done from your PM to Gernals and many bureaucrats , all of them would be found guilty.

India is preparing itself for make in India so that hundred of billion dollars investment remains corruption free. And you are getting happy with mere 55 billion dollars investment that to never went through any scanner.




Sent from my SM-T211 using Tapatalk

 

[Neo]

Neo

It doesnt look good to shout about these small projects. Even the money invested is pure chinese and not yours. Do you know what it means? Pakiytan without china cannot even build power stations and basic industry. Its a bad PR.

When India started make in India, Pakistan thought they will also do something similar. And ended up with 55 billion dollar investment from china. To build roads and powerstations. Lol

The fact is CPEC is a big corruption and if proper investigation is done from your PM to Gernals and many bureaucrats , all of them would be found guilty.

India is preparing itself for make in India so that hundred of billion dollars investment remains corruption free. And you are getting happy with mere 55 billion dollars investment that to never went through any scanner.




Sent from my SM-T211 using Tapatalk

CPEC is overrated by our media and overhyped by yours. But it will turn out to be a catalyst for domestic and foreign direct investments, it will take at least three more years to develop.
All questions will be answered by then.

And please don't being India in every Pakistan related thread, compare her to something her own size and weight.

Here's an Eye-opener for you:

 

[Screambowl]

Jayant bhandari a liberal hahaha... and pro congress guy.

Well he has forgotton that 7.5 percent growth rate without any indusrial revolution. Just double the growth rate to 14 percent once make in India bring the industries.

Sent from my SM-T211 using Tapatalk

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Jayant Bhandaari? Seriously
I'm well familiar with him.
The guy who even uses incorrect stats to support his bull$hit! which I can bust in a minute here.

 

[HariPrasad-1]

Yearender: CPEC enters into full implementation with remarkable progress
Source: Xinhua 2016-12-27 17:59:32

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Three years on, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), described by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a "game changer" for the entire region here, has entered into full implementation in 2016 and remarkable progresses have been achieved.

Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong reiterated on many occasions that 16 early harvest projects, including several power stations, highways and projects related to Gwadar Port, are under construction and tens of thousands of new jobs have been created for local people.

"The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is building a more amicable bond between our two brotherly countries. Our friendly cooperation is ushering in a golden era for greater development," said Sun during the ceremony of installation of a new chandelier at Mazar-e-Quaid, or the Mausoleum of the Founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in Karachi on Dec. 17.

Last month, a trade convoy organized by the two countries successfully passed through the western part of Pakistan for the first time from the north to the south, proving the connectivity of local roads and the realization of the concept of "one corridor with multiple passages" under the CPEC.

Meanwhile, Gwadar Port also marked its first export of massive containers to overseas destinations in November, showing that the port's designed handling capacity has been restored.

"Since the commencement of the CPEC, 2016 is the year when we have seen a project completed or start working. In addition to the Gwadar Port operations, Prime Minister Sharif also inaugurated a number of others projects in the country, especially in some routes in the western part of the CPEC. There are at least 39 projects, the majority of them related to energy, where obvious progress has been seen during 2016," Saeed Chaudhry, director of the Islamabad Council for International Affairs, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Chaudhry's remarks include the second phase of upgrading the Karakorum Highway from Havelian to Thakot and the highway linking Pakistan's largest cities of Karachi and Lahore. Both of the two highways have been smoothly implemented and for the former, the Abbottabad Tunnel construction project has begun and seen substantive progress.

In terms of the energy field, China is helping boost green, low-carbon and sustainable energy development to address power shortage in Pakistan.

Several wind power farms and hydropower stations are under construction and the eye-catching Port Qasim coal-fired power project in Karachi, which adopts a costly method to lower the temperature of the seawater used to cool the generating units in order to prevent them from heating up water temperature around the coast, is expected to be completed ahead of schedule and play its role in addressing Pakistan's electricity shortage.

"We are not coming only for big projects, we are here to help countries, such as Pakistan, to plan and design their future energy development blueprints so as to address problems they are facing and to make the projects a reality," Yan Zhiyong, chairman of the Power Construction Corporation of China, which is charged with the construction of the Port Qasim coal-fire power project, told Xinhua earlier.

According to Bilal Khan, a senior economist at Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Ltd., due to the enhanced infrastructure such as roads and railways brought by the CPEC, the gross domestic product (GDP) growth should increase from around 4.7 percent last year to around 6 percent by 2019, and stay around the same level for 2020 in the southern Asian country.

"The CPEC itself for Pakistan at a bare minimum offers a significant opportunity for the country to address its supply side constraints such as weak foreign capital inflow," Bilal Khan told Xinhua earlier, adding that the CPEC will attract foreign direct investment from both private and public sectors to help keep a balanced current account in Pakistan against a backdrop of rebounding oil prices.

"Before the CPEC, Pakistan's economy was feeble and stagnant, and investors, even ones of Pakistan origin were reluctant to invest in it, but right now the economic indicators of Pakistan have turned positive, investors from around the world are flocking to Pakistan, and the country's economy has been given new life and is booming and full of future prospects. Pakistan's main issue is shortage of revenue and unemployment, but the CPEC will provide solutions for the both," Chaudhry also pointed out.

The professor also said that further afield, from Russia to central Asian states to Sri Lanka, the CPEC will bring a change to the countries' economies and to the lives of more than 3 billion people living in this region.

"The project has already become the center of global attention, especially in our region," concluded the professor.

So one road will improve GDP by 2.3%? This is great. Pak mullahs want to live in fool/s paradise and chinese take full advantage of that. There is no other way to make such a big country a colony for such a cheap price.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/n...on-leaders-seek-india-s-help-against-pak-army

Baloch, Sindh, Pakhtoon leaders seek India’s help against Pak army


While Balochistan has publicly asked for India’s help to fight Pakistan and gain freedom from it, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces’ leaders living abroad have also started speaking about Pakistan’s “atrocities” against their people.
While Balochistan has publicly asked for India’s help to fight Pakistan and gain freedom from it, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces’ leaders living abroad have also started speaking about Pakistan’s “atrocities” against their people, thus hinting towards an alliance among the three provinces against Pakistan, backed by India.

Umar Daud Khattak, a Pakhtoon born in Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, has urged the Indian government to facilitate and support such an alliance to fight Pakistan and said, “For Sindhis, Pakhtoons and Balochs, the real Pakistan only constitutes of Punjabis. The residents of none of the provinces identify themselves as Pakistanis. With India’s support, the separatist leaders of these three provinces will willingly come together. India should help us leave Pakistan.”

On why India should help Pakhtoons, Khattak talked about the extent of geographical dominance that India can practise if it helps the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Pakhtoons want a free Pashtunistan, which would include FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), Khyber Pankhtunkhwa (KP) and the part of KP which was earlier annexed by Pakistan. There are about 15 million Pakhtoons in FATA, who would willingly take on the Pakistan army any day, if India helps them. These Pakhtoons in FATA are united by their disgust for Pakistan because Pakistan made FATA its military backyard. Helping Pakhtoons to fight Pakistan in FATA can give India geographical advantage and impair Pakistan’s various extremist units’ operations,” Khattak said.

Another major reason why India should help Pakhtoons, according to Khattak, is, “There are a significant number of Pakhtoons in the Pakistan army. If they know that India is supporting the liberation of KP from Pakistan, they will defect from the army. Pakistan’s militants who have ruined Kashmir have also been trained in FATA. Helping FATA would mean helping Kashmir.”

Sindhi separatist leaders who have been living in exile, too, welcome India’s help in such an alliance, but prefer to talk about it in hushed tones. Shafi Mohammad Burfat, a prominent Sindh Nationalist Movement leader, who is living in exile in Germany, said, “Historically, culturally and morally, Sindh is different from Pakistan and closer to India. Neither are we Sindhis religious extremists, nor do we want to be identified as that. Sindhis are Sufi people. The Rig Veda that defines Hinduism, was written in Sindh and with the advent of the Mughals came Islam. Sindh has been a multi-cultural space, but Pakistan has ruined it. My name is Mohammad, but I follow Shivism; that is what we Sindhis are like. India has every reason to help us and save the roots of Hinduism in Sindh.”

Dr Hyder Lashari, chairman of G.M. Sayed Studies Board and a senior political leader from Sindh province of Pakistan, living in New York, explained what unites Sindhis, Balochs and Pakhtoons: “The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the immediate concern. It will start from Gwadar port of Balochistan and Karachi port of Sindh and will affect the tribal area of KP. Punjabis want to colonise Gwadar and Sindh, while creating a safe zone in tribal KP. They have also planned to let the Chinese colonise our lands. Three nations are facing genocidal operations from Pakistan, while China is ignoring this fact.”

Dr Lashari said, “Without an alliance of victimised and oppressed nations, it is hard to win freedom from Pakistan’s imperialism. We Sindhis think of Balochs and Pakhtoons as our brothers. Our leader Sain G.M. Sayed, Pakhtoon leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Baloch leaders Nawab Khair Baksh Marri and Nawab Akbar Bugti were colleagues, too, who shared similar nationalist interests. We have an unofficial alliance with Balochs and Pakhtoons, but we are planning to do more.”

Either other Crimea is making or the story of East Turkestan or Uighurystan is being repeated in Balochistan.
Chinese will outnumber locals and natives will be called insurgents soon.

 

[hit&run]

What is total FDI that has made into Pakistan so far for the last fiscal year?

 

[Neo]

Chambers voice concern at China’s plan to ‘set up industry along CPEC route’
GUJRAT: The three chambers of commerce and industry of what is termed as “golden industrial triangle” comprising Gujrat, Gujranwala and Sialkot cities, have expressed their grave concern over China’s reported plan of establishing industrial units and warehouses along the route of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Already posted above.

....................................

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Already posted above.

....................................

Oh, my bad. Reporting it as duplicate post.

 

[Project Dharma]

While Pakistan may not face immediate implications, our GDP does have major contributions from exports and remittances.

This dumbass (Neo) will post anything. Doesn't know the meaning of trade deficit I guess.

 

[pmaitra]

While Pakistan may not face immediate implications, our GDP does have major contributions from exports and remittances.

Remittances would be included under Gross National Product, but not under Gross Domestic Product.

Remittances are not domestic.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Remittances would be included under Gross National Product, but not under Gross Domestic Product.

Remittances are not domestic.

About 3 quarters Pakistani Economy is consumer class, but the population growth rate and high fertility rate seems to be hindering per capita growth rate from last few years, stock markets are performing good though in recent days.
So, how's their growth (per capita) outlook for 20 years to 50 years?
I mean per capita growth rate compared to India's, Bangladesh's or Sri Lanka.

 

[pmaitra]

About 3 quarters Pakistani Economy is consumer class, but the population growth rate and high fertility rate seems to be hindering per capita growth rate from last few years, stock markets are performing good though in recent days.
So, how's their growth (per capita) outlook for 20 years to 50 years?
I mean per capita growth rate compared to India's, Bangladesh's or Sri Lanka.

Can't answer your question. I do not follow Pakistan's economy that well. Others might be able to say more.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Can't answer your question. I do not follow Pakistan's economy that well. Others might be able to say more.

India used to have just 52% GDP per capita, low HDI, GHI etc. of Pakistan in 80s. Then, it sustained significantly higher per capita growth every year.
Usually, expanding consumers and labour (if utilized properly) aid consumption and productivity, so economic growth. As population ages, people have less children, it slows down because of less overall population growth. As we can see in China, Japan and Russia while US has pluspoint on developed economies and India has over emerging economies and most countries.
But because of low fertility rate, India must also slow down and decline after 3-4 decades like China or Japan. So, I do believe, they (Pakistanis) can have better growth outlook later.
@Neo

 

[Neo]

Remittances would be included under Gross National Product, but not under Gross Domestic Product.

Remittances are not domestic.

That is true, nonetheless they account for significant contribution to the economy and forex.