The deepening ties between Beijing and Islamabad not only undermine India’s sovereignty but also compromise Pakistan’s own sovereignty, destabilize the region, and exacerbate the suffering of Kashmir’s residents
Darakshan Hassan Bhat
China,officially the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a country in East Asia, shares a long and contentious border of over 3,400 kilometers with India. The two Asian giants are bound by geography but their interactions have been marked by both cooperation and conflict. China’s growing influence in Pakistan has emerged as a major concern for India, particularly in the context of the Kashmir region. The alliance between China and Pakistan, often termed an “all-weather friendship,” has deepened in recent years, driven by shared strategic and geopolitical interests. This partnership, boosted by massive infrastructure projects, military cooperation, and aligned positions on contentious issues, poses a significant challenge to India’s security and sovereignty. The repercussions of this alliance are particularly acute in Kashmir, a region already driven by conflict and instability.
Perhaps no aspect of China–Pakistan relations is more obvious than the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a strategic cooperation under the Belt & Road Initiative. This economic blessing stretching to several billions of dollars is a network of roads and railways with connectivity from Xinjiang, China to the Arabian Sea comes through Gwadar, Pakistan which includes energy projects and industrial cities. While this development project may bring economic benefits for the rehabilitation of Pakistan, it also ensures China’s strategic position in the South Asian region of immense strategic concern to India. For India, CPEC is not just of an economic interest but a sovereign one since the construction of this route involves Gilgit-Baltistan which falls in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) claimed by India. As seen, India has been openly protesting against CPEC to China but unfortunately to emphasize this relation with Pakistan, China is moving ahead with CPEC.
However, unlike other commonalities of CPEC, the consequences it holds for Pakistan are not exclusively economical. The infrastructure created within the framework of the corridor gives China an advantage in terms of logistics, in the event of a conflict, for example, in such areas as Ladakh, where both India and China have already had serious incidents. Where these projects are sited is close to the India border and has raised Indias concerns, much of which watching China’s aggression in the claimed territories of Ladakh and Aksai Chin. There has been a provocation in the Galwan Valley in 2020, where Chinese and Indian forces came to blows over the border issues, and some people were killed. In this episode deliberations made it really clear that China’s infrastructural and military attack in the Pakistan territory may entail strategic threats to India in the method of ‘Kashmir.’ Pakistan has been China’s close ally and friend for many years, and the latter’s military cooperation with Pakistan intensifies India’s threat perception. Pakistan could prove to be a loyal asset to Beijing over the years as the latter has provided the former with a weapon system package including fighter aircrafts, naval platforms and missile technology. This support has not only improved the military power of Pakistan but has also given them confidence to argue against India, especially in Kashmir.
Furthermore, Chinese support to build nuclear weapons power in Pakistan has disturbed the balance of terror in South Asia for India. It is unclear if Chinese personnel are involved in the manufacturing efforts currently underway in Pakistan, particularly in areas like Gwadar and PoK that offer a convincing and credible military usage, yet have great strategic value for China and Pakistan. Chinese investments in Pakistan are multi-purpose and have military value as well as being economic in nature. Commercially aimed as the new ‘port city’, Gwadar has great military importance due to its geographical location close to the Strait of Hormuz. The development of the Gwadar port by China would also give China a strategic naval access to the Arabian sea thus making the Foreign nation’s presence in the Indian ocean region together with curb India’s dominance in the area. For India, this is a direct threat since China is now stringing up a tight network around her, and is also forging closer relations with other nations in the Indian Ocean region.
This new relationship also has deeper meaning for Kashmir: China is becoming the dominant power in Pakistan. This territory is occupied by India and Pakistan Territorial dispute, and now it gets involved in Geopolitical confrontation including China. The Chinese government has stakes both economic and strategic in the region of Kashmir. Its territorial demands that include the territories such as Aksai Chin in the geographical location fall well with its strategic interests. Through supporting Pakistan, China, in one way or another, backs Islamabad’s stance on Kashmir, and often acts diplomatically to prevent India from putting forward its views on the matter.
The effects of this strategic triangle are probably most painful for the inhabitants of Kashmir who have been suffering from endless violence and political instability. The military progression of the area increases the conflict and insecurity terminated by the China-Pakistan alliance. Cross-border firing on the Line of Control (LoC) and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) destabilizes residents of Kashmir and fabricates tension for commoners’ lives. Another consequence of this geopolitical contest has been the relative slow growth of the economy and general development in the area. Although development projects as CPEC bring the feelings of development to the adjacent areas, Kashmir continues to be out of them and thus the process of economic depreciation enhances in the region further. The social cost of this conflict is huge and it is tragic beyond human comprehension. Living in poverty, unemployment, limited access to education and health care and post traumatic stress disorder have become more or less the norm to most residents of the Kashmir valley. All these areas are only worsened by the intervention of outside players such as China and Pakistan. While one might expect that the process of reconciliation and development dominates the region, the focus is on tactical moves and even power plays. This leaves the population helpless and vying for more poverty and violence as the future looks very bleak.
In conclusion, it can be mentioned that a significant challenge for India is China’s growing presence in Pakistan particularly in the context of Kashmir. The deepening ties between Beijing and Islamabad threaten India’s sovereignty and even the sovereignty of Pakistan, destabilize the region, and exacerbate the suffering of Kashmir’s residents. The geopolitical interests of the countries risk and sidelines the voices and rights of Kashmiris. It not only complicates the fabric of Kashmir but raises the concerns about sovereignty, human rights, and long-term regional stability for the local population. Large scale infrastructure has led to the environmental degradation, economic displacements and threatened the livelihoods of the locals. India needs to take a stand not only for protecting its sovereignty but also for protecting the rights of people.
