CPEC row: Congress calls on PM Modi to question China over 'threat'

With a think tank from Beijing stating that China would have to get involved if India threatens the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Balochistan, the Congress on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to question the Chinese Government over the 'meaning' behind the warning.

Speaking to ANI here, Congress leader Manish Tewari said that if ultimately the CPEC is going to threaten India, then the Centre needs to stand up to it.

"PM Modi should ask the Chinese that what exactly do they mean by 'intervene'. After all, the think tank which has written this article is closely related with the Chinese state and the Chinese establishment. So PM Modi should ask the Chinese government that what the meaning of this threat is," he said.

Earlier, the director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) revealed that Prime Minister Modi's reference to Balochistan in his Independence Day address is the latest concern for China.

Stating that China fears India may use "anti-government" elements in Balochistan where Beijing is building the $46 billion project, the director stated that if the 'plot' causes any damage to the CPEC, then they will have to get involved.

Meanwhile, Baloch and Sindhi leaders held a joint protest against the ongoing CPEC in Balochistan outside the Chinese Embassy in London.

They claimed that thousands of people were displaced to facilitate a wide array of projects under the CPEC without a proper plan of rehabilitation or providing any compensation.

World Sindhi Congress Chairman Laku Luhana told ANI that the CPEC was not an economic project, but rather a matter of life and death for the Baloch and the Sindhis.

"It is a project of capture on our land and coastal lines. This is not an economic project. It is a matter of life and death for the Baloch and the Sindhis. We will never agree to this project," he added.

The USD 46 billion economic pact has been projected as a major boost for the economy by the Pakistan government, but locals in Balochistan say they have not benefited one bit from the CPEC.