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I was visiting one of the busiest shopping centers in Karachi after 3-4 years. This place, called Saddar, is the lifeline of the biggest city of Pakistan. There are markets for almost everything in this area, right from household stuff to industrial computers and from vintage collection stores to high-tech mobile phones. Roadside eateries and fine dining restaurants are there to cater all types of visitors.
However, the most startling feature of this visit was the number of Chinese personnel roaming in the market that I have never seen before. This is, obviously, a side effect of Pakistan’s involvement in China’s OBOR (One Belt One Road) project that includes CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor).
On the surface this looks perfect; China, being an undeniable world power, is extending her support to Pakistan that will result in win/win situation for both the countries. It will bring jobs to Pakistan. People will be more prosperous, wealthy and progressive. The unemployment rate will come down drastically and there will be an economic boom in Pakistan. Chinese hegemony in the region will counter India’s influence and Pakistan will have a strong ally to back its decade’s old claim of disputed Kashmir territory. So, it’s a game-changer for Pakistan.
That’s the story that we, as Pakistanis, have been receiving from regime’s broadcasters. (In Pakistan, Govt. is not the real power player, its Army and regime refers to both Civil and Military leadership). This narrative has been broadcasted with such focused and concentrated emphasis that if you dare to question or object; you are labeled a traitor, sold-out and/or agent of Indian intelligence agencies.
Serious commentators in Pakistan had raised eyebrows when details of CPEC were not shared with the public. They worried about the one-sidedness of the contract and were concerned that it may end up turning Pakistan into Chinese colony. Horrors of Brutal British Rule in India, as explained by Shahi Tharoor’s book: The Era Of Darkness, are too well documented to be rejected as whims and fictitious stories.
British came to India purely on economic terms and formed East India Company which took over the whole Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh combined) and enslaved millions of people. Some commentators relate that experience with Chinese increasing influence on Pakistan. And when projects related to CPEC, it became clear that those concerns are being realized.
For example, Descon, a billion-dollar company of Pakistan with a 40-year experience of maintaining and implementing landmark projects in oil and gas, chemicals, and power sectors at home and abroad, also had made bids for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts of five CPEC power plants, but failed to win even a single contract as all went the way of Chinese companies. The power projects include two coal power plants in Sahiwal and Port Qasim and three gas-based plants in Bhikki and Haveli Bahadur Shah.
As reported by leading Pakistan Newspaper The Dawn, chairman of Descon, Mr. Dawood said, “Pakistani firms have been denied contracts for power and other projects; equipment and raw materials for the(se) projects are being imported (from China); labour (technicians, managers, engineers, etc) also are coming from China. (In other words) there is no restriction on (Chinese) firms to involve Pakistani contractors and use local equipment and labor as they take the lion’s share of infrastructure projects.
We didn’t get even a single job because we were expensive. They (Chinese companies) were cheaper because they got certain tax benefits that were not on offer for us (Pakistani bidders) If you know at the start that you are getting certain benefits, your price (your bid) according to the benefits (to undercut your competition). It is not a level playing field… they get a lot more benefits than we do.”
It is quite clear that Chinese ambitions aren’t proving that beneficial for Pakistan as it was presented. Yes, there will be some financial benefits of having road-side tea stall vendors along petrol stations on CPEC related roads but will it give the ‘boom’ to economic activity in Pakistan? I guess not.
And even if it does, it won’t be sustainable growth as the projects are being carried out by Chinese. Technology transfer which should be the prime target in such joint ventures doesn’t look like to happen and Chinese companies are ensuring that all design, engineering, and construction is done by their human resource. Employment of Pakistani manpower is limited to non-technical jobs which require local know-how such as drivers.
The intensity with which this country is being pushed towards China-zation can be understood by the recent change in curriculum in one of the leading engineering universities of Pakistan i.e. NED University of Engineering and Technology. According to the recent notification, learning Mandarin Chinese is mandatory for newly enrolled students and, supposedly, it is being done to facilitate projects related to CPEC.
Am I against CPEC? No, I am not. But I am against the deal where China has got all and Pakistan is left with nothing. Transfer of technology must be the primary requirement rather than using Pakistan as an install base. Local engineering firms must be given priority to create more jobs for technically skilled personnel.
China is safeguarding her future by implementing OBOR policy and Pakistan has all the right to do the same as per her very own interests. Giving free hand to China will not help Pakistan in its ambitions of becoming a regional player. Pakistan will become satellite state or, even worse, subservient state and just like East India Company, the foreigners will decide the fate of masses.
Pakistan has to understand that whenever you jump in with much bigger world powers in such arrangements, you are required to punch above your weight to get a legitimate share of the pie. If you surrender to their terms, they won’t leave you with anything substantial and won’t hesitate even to destroy your economy for fringe benefits. The Nawabs of the Indian subcontinent have gone through such experience that resulted in century of Dark Brutish (read: British) Rule. Are power corridors of Pakistan making the same mistake?
