INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Attacks by separatist militants in Pakistan&s southwestern province of Balochistan aim to stop development projects that form part of the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday.The assaults begun on Sunday, killing more than 70,
were the most widespread in years by ethnic militants seeking to win secession of the resource-rich province, home to major China-led
projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine, Reuters reported.&The terrorists want to stop CPEC and development projects,&
Sharif said in a televised address to cabinet, adding that the purpose was also to drive a wedge between Islamabad and Beijing.CPEC, said to
have development commitments worth $65 billion, is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping&s Belt and Road initiative.Pakistan has not been
able to fully build the infrastructure needed to tap mineral resources in poverty-stricken Balochistan, and has sought China&s help in
developing the province.In the past, Beijing has flagged concerns about the security of its citizens working on projects in Pakistan,
particularly in Balochistan
Six Chinese engineers working on a dam project were killed in March in the northwest.Separatist militants have consistently targeted
Balochistan&s deepwater port of Gwadar, run by China.A militant group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), took responsibility for this
week&s simultaneous attacks on police stations, railway lines and highways in the province.The post Pakistan PM Sharif says militants want
to stop co-operation with China first appeared on Ariana News.
