Baloch leader Mir Yar Baloch has warned India that China could deploy its military forces in Pakistan’s Balochistan region within the next few months, calling it a dangerous escalation of the deepening China–Pakistan strategic partnership with serious implications for regional security, including for India.
What did the Baloch leader tell India?
In an open letter addressed to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and posted on X on New Year’s Day, Mir Yar Baloch said Baloch representatives view the expanding China–Pakistan alliance as a direct threat to the people of Balochistan.
He cautioned that any Chinese military presence on Baloch soil without the consent of the local population would fundamentally alter the regional security landscape.
How is the Baloch leader’s warning connected to CPEC?
At the heart of his warning is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative that passes through resource-rich but restive Balochistan.
Mir Yar Baloch claimed CPEC was nearing its final stages and alleged that this could pave the way for Chinese troop deployment under the guise of protecting strategic assets.
How does the CPEC development threaten India?
“If the capabilities of Balochistan’s defense and freedom forces continue to be overlooked, it is conceivable that China could deploy its military forces in Balochistan within a few months,” he wrote.
Such a move, he argued, would pose an “unimaginable threat” not only to Balochistan but also to India, which he referred to as Bharat.
What is the context of the Baloch leader’s warning?
Providing context, the Baloch leader accused Pakistan of decades-long repression, alleging systematic violence and widespread human rights abuses since Balochistan’s incorporation into Pakistan. He described the situation as a long-festering crisis that now demands urgent international attention.
China and Pakistan have consistently denied any military dimension to CPEC, maintaining that the corridor is purely an economic project. India, however, has opposed CPEC from the outset, arguing it violates Indian sovereignty as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Mir Yar Baloch also praised India’s Operation Sindoor, launched after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, as a demonstration of resolve against terrorism and a commitment to regional security.