Pakistan to launch new offensive against separatist militants
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A soldier stands guard along the border fence outside the Kitton outpost on the border with Afghanistan in North Waziristan, Pakistan October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Caren Firouz
By Asif Shahzad
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan plans a new military offensive against separatist insurgents in southwestern Balochistan province, home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects, but it was not immediately clear if the plan would be a joint effort with its giant neighbour.
Following a string of deadly attacks that targeted its citizens in recent months, Beijing has pushed to join security efforts to protect them, and unveiled a plan for joint counter-terrorism exercises in Pakistan on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a meeting of civil and military leaders who gave the go-ahead for the "comprehensive operation", his office said in a statement.
But it stopped short of saying if the effort was limited to ground operations, or could involve the air force, and whether it was prompted by China's disquiet at the separatist attacks.
Pakistan's information ministry and the military did not immediately respond to a request for details on the nature of the offensive.
Asked if China is involved in the Pakistan plan for an offensive against insurgents in Balochistan, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday, "I do not understand the situation you mentioned. As a matter of principle, China firmly supports the anti-terrorism efforts of the Pakistan side and is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with the Pakistan side in various fields to better benefit the two countries and the peoples of the two countries."
The military already has a huge presence in the rugged region bordering Afghanistan and Iran, where insurgent groups have been battling for a separate homeland for decades to win a larger share of the benefits from the resource-rich province.
The military has long run intelligence-based operations against the insurgent groups, the most prominent being the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which stepped up attacks in recent months on the military and nationals from longtime ally China.
The region is home to Gwadar Port, built by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65-billion investment in President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative to expand China's global reach.
In addition to the recent attacks, the BLA claimed a suicide bombing last month outside the international airport in the southern port city of Karachi that killed two Chinese engineers.
On Tuesday, China's defence ministry said the armies of both nations planned "a joint counter-terrorism exercise in Pakistang from late November to mid-December.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Additional reporting by Joe Cash and Lee Liz in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Kim Coghill)
