CPEC and Its Socio-Economic Impact on Baluchistan: A Critical Appraisal

Abstract

Being a massive infrastructure project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has caught eyes of not only Pakistan but many international countries as well based on its strategic economic and geopolitical significance. Baluchistan is one of Pakistan’s most important provinces where such development is being pioneered and is coming to the point of socio economic transformation. However, socio economic impact of CPEC on Baluchistan has been seen but remains under a critical debate. This paper therefore critically looks at the socio economic impacts of CPEC on the province both on a positive end as well as a negative basis. On one side, CPEC is going to play a positive role in economic development, generation of jobs and investment in infrastructure in the province. However, resource distribution, political marginalization and ethnic tensions have come to threaten as serious challenges, while they have however been attended to by the state through implementation of social agenda aimed at promoting peace and development. Through a detailed analysis this study tries to analyze Baluchistan in relation to socio economic context of CPEC. The results produced from this study have been very useful on how CPEC can be used to foster the growth in more equitable terms.

Keywords: CPEC, Baluchistan, socio-economic impact, infrastructure, development, political marginalization, job creation.