Pakistan Is Illegally Occupying Kashmir, CPEC Is Leading To Rights Violations: European Parliament Member

Highlighting the issue of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Fulvio Martusciello, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) has called on the European Union (EU) to have an action-based approach when it comes to CPEC and the Chinese-Pakistani ‘disregard for human rights’.

In an article for EP Today, Martusciello notes that the governments of Pakistan and China have strong incentives to protect their investments and ensure those who oppose the project are silenced, as it runs through the occupied regions of Tibet, Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

“CPEC runs through Gilgit-Baltistan and Azaad Jammu and Kashmir, both regions universally understood to be Pakistan-occupied territories. Gilgit-Baltistan has been occupied since 1947, when a British-supported military coup led to Pakistani control. Through a variety of unilateral presidential decrees, Pakistan governs Gilgit-Baltistan by force,” the MEP states.

Coming down heavily on the Pakistan government over the project of the Diamer Bhasha Dam in connection with the CPEC, Martusciello emphasises that the proposed site would ensure the displacement of over 30,000 people, as at least 32 villages will be flooded, but Pakistan continues the construction claiming the project will provide jobs and other opportunities for Gilgit-Baltistan locals.

“Like the Pakistani government, the Chinese administration goes to great lengths to silence any expression of Tibetan activism. Journalists, celebrities and even heads of state have been severely criticised and intimidated by the Chinese government for meeting the Dalai Lama,’ he wrote criticising China.

He called on the EU to remember that “dialogue” is not a solution as it is often used to appease the public. “Perhaps it is time for the EU to move past dialogue. When it comes to CPEC and the Chinese-Pakistani disregard for human rights, the EU must have an action-based approach,” the MEP said.