Daily Times

If there is one country that has truly threatened the decades-old global US dominance across all disciplines, it is China. Over the past twenty years, China has grown into a formidable economic powerhouse as well as making some stunning strides in the areas of military, space, and technological advancements.

Being the world’s largest populated country and the biggest market, China needs consistent and strong economic growth to remain stable. In enactment to its economic stability, China is pursuing a grand plan – Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative (BRI).

Due to the geographical importance of Pakistan, which serves as the zipper to the Eurasian integration, the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is globally viewed as the most crucial project in the success of B&R plan.

CPEC has attracted the largest foreign investments – more than $60 billion – in the annals of history of Pakistan. It is also the largest-ever Chinese foreign investment in any single foreign country.

The Gwadar port in Pakistani province of Balochistan also has compelling strategic implications. As the East and South China Sea is controlled by the US and its allies – in case of Chinese blockade from the eastern side, China can only reach the warm waters of the Gulf through Gwadar.

As a result, the US considers B&R a peril to its global supremacy, through which China is trying to strengthen its economic and strategic footprints worldwide and CPEC provides the terrain to achieve China’s global dominance ambitions. While, at the same time, India is also feeling threatened by China’s presence in the Indian Ocean.

So, in order to contain China’s growing influence in the region and to ensure its hegemony – the US once again is exerting pressure on Pakistan to help it to contain China but to its aggravation, both China and Pakistan share a historic rapport.

On the other hand, Pakistan is not in a position to succor the US as CPEC offers us the potential to boost our deteriorating economy, reduce poverty, spread benefits widely, and help those likely to be affected by the new trade route.

As a result, the US considers B&R a peril to its global supremacy, through which China is trying to strengthen its economic and strategic footprints worldwide and CPEC provides the terrain to achieve China’s global dominance ambitions. While, at the same time, India is also feeling threatened by China’s presence in the Indian Ocean

As the likelihoods of conventional warfare dry up in modern days; the US and India are carrying out another kind of feud – hybrid war – to impede China’s blooming marches, the fulcrum of which is CPEC and the Gwadar in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Through this kind of unconventional warfare – the US and India are employing diverse clandestine tactics – such as political disruption, economic subversion, propaganda campaigns, and cyber assaults – to sabotage Pakistan’s fate-changing economic corridor. The ultimate target overtly is Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile – the cornerstone of its national security.

Unarguably India and Pakistan are arch rivals but with the beginning of the New Cold War between the US and China’s trade conflicts and strategic disputes, Pakistan is taking the toll for championing it’s time old friend.

Several external elements, with the help of some domestic political and social sections, are running propaganda campaigns to dent the national security of Pakistan.

They are also trying to stifle Pakistan’s most-awaited economic growth by fanning ethno-regional identity conflicts, supported by Indian-backed terrorist activities and terrorist attacks from Afghanistan.

In the newer concept of hybrid war, the US and India are manipulating the mainstream media to impair the international reputation of Pakistan; implementing a series of disinformation programs, hypothetical analysis, and odious Op-eds.

The recurrent media onslaughts on Pakistan’s army and its leading intelligence service – ISI – is the key gambit of Indo-US hybrid ‘shelling’ on Pakistan to malevolently obscure the country’s remarkable achievements in war on terror.

While the activities of the US navy in East and South China Sea drive to block China’s influence, India’s naval presence on Chabahar port in Iran and Duqm port in Oman can target China, Pakistan, and their central CPEC project.

It is this Indo-US strategic naval fusion that has goaded China and Pakistan to shore up their naval collaboration and expand maritime surveillance and security in the Indian Ocean to ascertain the balance of power.

Economic cataclysm is also an important component of this irregular warfare which has unfortunately miffed Pakistan’s economy. The menace of the outspread of corruption, bad governance, illegal money transfers, nepotism, and marginalization of youth has not only substantially paled Pakistan’s economy but has also relayed the US and UK an opportunity to place Pakistan on FATF’s grey-list.

Furthermore, the US has clearly signaled to maim the vulnerable Pakistani economy by influencing IMF; in case Pakistan decides to solicit a bail-out package from the international financial institution.

Israel is also an inevitable US and Indian ally. Azriel Bermant – research fellow at National Security Studies, Tel Aviv – once opined that Pakistan might be the real nuclear threat to the US and Israel, instead of Iran and North Korea.

It is a patent truth that the US has distinctly reformed its regional strategy to live off India against China and Pakistan. Trump’s announcements of withdrawal of troops from Syria and peace negotiations with Afghan Taliban are clear indications of the US’ refurbished strategy to upset China economically by spawning Indo-Pak hostility in the region to retain its global dominance.

But the contemporary US strategy pivots too much on India, which unfortunately for the US, lacks the capability to play an assertive role in the region so the christened superficial Indo-US alliance is doomed to collapse.

The author is working in a private organization as a Market & Business Analyst and is writes on domestic, regional, and global issues

Published in Daily Times, February 21^st 2019.