economictimes.indiatimes.com
ET Bureau
Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury
November 27, 2015
NEW DELHI: The European Parliament for the first time has come down heavily on Chinese funded infrastructure projects as well as deployment of PLA troops in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) by asserting that such moves by Beijing is ecologically damaging and can disturb stability in the region.
In a conference held in Strasbourg on Wednesday senior MPs of European Parliament noted that Chinese infrastructure projects have created resentment among locals in the Gilgit Baltistan area, people familiar with the deliberations informed ET. These views by EU MPs would be shot in the arm for Delhi that has been protesting Chinese projects as well as their troops in PoK, a territory considered as part of India. Formal protests have been launched by India in the past with both Beijing and Islamabad.
At the conference Ryszard Czarnecki, Vice President European Parliament, spoke how China is engaged in PoK and Gilgit Baltistan in construction ranging from dams, highways and ports. He further claimed that “there is a lot of resentment among locals in the region of Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir over the negative environmental impact and the utter disregard for environmental safety norms by the Chinese infrastructure developers.” It may be noted that the Chinese projects in PoK are part of China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor that stretches until Gwadar Port in Baluchistan under Beijing’s One Belt One Road Strategy.
While the Modi government has boosted ties with key European nations, relationship with the EU has not gained in momentum with no early signs of the next Summit. The favourable voices by European MPs will come as a breather for India as in the past speaking in the EU Parliament, former Italian foreign minister Federica Mogherini, who’s the EU’s foreign policy head pulled up Delhi in the Italian marines case. EU Parliament’s views on Jammu and Kashmir in the past have always not been favourable.
But echoing India’s concerns Member of the European Parliament Alberto Cirio stated that China has increased their military presence in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan area under the pretext of ensuring safety to their workers. He claimed that the Chinese army has started to create divide among the Shia and Sunnis in the region, which is causing a direct threat to the region and not only the locals. He felt that the presence of the Chinese army in the region is a threat to the stability of the region and questioned Pakistan for allowing Chinese army when it has always opposed the presence of the Western forces in the region.
Yet another Member of the European Parliament Fulvio Martusciello how Pakistan gifted China the Gwadar port for making a naval base. His colleague in Parliament Patricia Sulin, mentioned that China has taken the lead in Gilgit Baltistan and PoK by developing schools, hospitals and other emergency services in order to rebuild the area. She said she will request European External Action Service (EEAS) to look into the matter and increase the pressure on the Pakistani Government.