New Delhi, Jun 25: Officials said that china has been helping the Pak Army build its defence infrastructure besides providing Unmanned Aerial and Combat Aerial Vehicles, setting up communication towers and laying underground cables along the LOC. According to the officials, this is a part of efforts to maintain China’s position as Pakistan‘s top ally while ensuring the safety of the growing Chinese enclaves on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These enclaves were established under the pretext of securing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) road and hydroelectric projects built in the occupied territory.After being unveiled on Pakistan Day the year before, the freshly developed SH-15, a 155 mm truck-mounted howitzer gun, was apparently also spotted at many areas along the Line of Control (LoC), according to the officials.
A’shoot and scoot’ artillery weapon, Pakistan had inked a deal with Chinese company North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco) for the supply of 236 SH-15s, and the first batch, according to the London-based Janes Defence magazine, was delivered in January 2022.Although top PLA officials were not present at advanced posts as was the case in 2014, according to the officials, some intercepts revealed that Chinese troops and engineers were erecting infrastructure along the LoC, including the construction of underground bunkers
Although the Army has reportedly kept a low profile on the subject, sources claim that it has been continuously briefing the intelligence community.Experts said that the reason for the Chinese military’s presence is Beijing’s 46 billion dollar CPEC, which will link Gwadar Port in Karachi with China’s Xinjiang province via the Karakoram highway, a region that is now occupied illegally by China.In order to develop an all-weather road that will serve as an alternate route to reach the Karakoram highway, the officials claimed that Chinese experts were allegedly excavating some tunnels in the PoK region’s Leepa Valley.
It should be noted that in 2007, a Chinese telecommunications corporation acquired Pakistan’s telecom firm and created China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak), a wholly owned subsidiary of China Mobile Communications Corporation.The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) authorised the expansion of Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) in the area in August of last year while renewing CMPak’s (Zong’s) mobile licence for PoK.
India has already expressed strong opposition to Chinese presence in Gilgit and Baltistan regions, and officials stated that the Army was fully prepared to thwart any attempts from across the border.
A truce between India and Pakistan has been in effect since February 25, 2021.Arms deliveries to Pakistan, according to Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and member of a think group on Indian policy towards China, are part of a strategy to protect China’s interests in the region.
He claimed that Beijing has increased its arms deliveries to Pakistan in keeping with its frequently declared strategy of being Pakistan’s “all-weather” friend and to counterbalance India by pursuing the broader regional domination policy.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction started in 2014, infringing on India’s worries over its sovereignty in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.He said that in addition to the Karakoram Highway’s road construction, China has dispatched an estimated 36,000 “security guards” into PoK to guard its hydroelectricity projects and other infrastructure projects against terrorist assaults.
According to Kondapali, China had been developing “well-off society” communities in PoK.Modern warfare necessitates constant surveillance, and China has been providing Pakistan with 48 Wing Loong-II drones and 10 CH-4A drones since 2018, according to the official. These drones are used for surveillance, aerial reconnaissance, and precision strikes from heights of up to 5,000 metres.