India trying to destabilize Pakistan, says army chief

[UAE]

India trying to destabilize Pakistan, says army chief

Pakistan's Army Chief General Raheel Sharif addresses at a seminar on 'Prospects of Peace And Prosperity In Balochistan' in Gwadar, Pakistan. (File photo: AP)
AFP, Gwadar, PakistanWednesday, 13 April 2016
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Pakistan's powerful military chief accused India Tuesday of being "blatantly" involved in attempts to destabilize the country, saying Delhi was hostile to an ambitious economic plan by Beijing and Islamabad for the region.

General Raheel Sharif spoke in the southwestern port of Gwadar, described by officials as the "heart" of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The $46-billion initiative would give Beijing greater access to the Middle East, Africa and Europe through Pakistan, via a new highway to Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea.

It is part of China's ambition to expand its trade and transport footprint in the region, while countering US and Indian influence.

India "has openly challenged this development initiative", Sharif told a one-day seminar in Gwadar, in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

"I would like to make a special reference to Indian intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) that is blatantly involved in destabilizing Pakistan," he added.

India has expressed wariness about CPEC in the past, though analysts have said that concerns would only emerge if there are "defense related matters".

Last month, Pakistan protested to Delhi after arresting a man suspected of being an Indian spy in Balochistan, sparking a fresh diplomatic tiff between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

The army has repeatedly claimed that a years-long separatist insurgency in Balochistan is "terrorism" promoted by states hostile to Pakistan such as India.

Pakistani officials hope CPEC will transform Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least developed province.

Earlier Tuesday, Chinese officials told the seminar that they hope the port will be ready by the end of the year.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/asia/2016/04/13/India-trying-to-destabilize-Pakistan-says-army-chief-.html

 

[Corzhens]

I thought the cold war between India and Pakistan has long been over. So now the issue is again being resuscitated? I really think that those spy thing and border quarrels are not patronized by the government but instigated by local groups such as the rebels. But in fairness to the issue, there may be a grain of truth because the alliance of China and Pakistan may pose a possible threat to the well-being of India.

 

[explorerx7]

Relations between India and Pakistan is almost similar to that of Iran and Saudia Arabia. Therefore, I am not surprised by this latest by the Pakistani Army Chief. There have been these constant claims and counter claims at each other and it's evident that there is no love lost between the two countries, especially because of the ongoing conflict over the control of Kashmir.

 

[Gasoline]

Tensions between these nuclear neighbors will never subsides into friendship, but at least we hope that things do not develop into a serious situation. India is a fast growing power economically and militarily. On the other hand, Pakistan by the time is getting far away from India. This is not gonna break today's peace process, but risk is surrounding the near future.