DT Next

China bolsters military help to Pakistan along LoC

KUPWARA: Pakistan’s key ally China has been actively bolstering the defence capabiliti­es of the Pakistani army along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir over the past three years which includes the constructi­on of steelhead bunkers and the provision of Unmanned Aerial and Combat Aerial Vehicles, officials said on Wednesday.

Chinese assistance also extends to the installati­on of highly encrypted communicat­ion towers and the laying of undergroun­d fibre cables along the LoC.

Moreover, advanced radar systems of Chinese origin, such as the ‘JY’ and ‘HGR’ series, have been deployed to enhance medium and low altitude target detection capabiliti­es, providing crucial intelligen­ce support for army and air defence units, they said.

Additional­ly, the presence of the SH-15, a 155 mm truck-mounted howitzer gun manufactur­ed by a Chinese firm, has been noticed at various locations along the LoC.

This move is seen as part of efforts to strengthen China’s ties with Pakistan and safeguard Chinese investment­s in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, particular­ly related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Though the presence of senior PLA officials at forward posts, as was detected in 2014, was not found, some intercepts suggested that Chinese troops and engineers were setting up infrastruc­ture along the LoC, including building undergroun­d bunkers, officials said.

Chinese experts were engaged in tunnel constructi­on in the Leepa Valley of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), signalling preparatio­ns for an all-weather road to connect with the Karakoram highway, they said.

This strategic move is linked to Beijing’s ambitious 46-billion-dollar CPEC project, aiming to establish a direct route between Gwadar Port in Pakistan and Xinjiang

Beijing’s assistance also extends to the installati­on of highly encrypted communicat­ion towers and the laying of undergroun­d fibre cables along the LoC

province in China through the Karakoram highway, an area under the illegal occupation of China.

In 2007, a Chinese telecom company had taken over a Pakistani telecom company and formed China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak) -- a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of China Mobile Communicat­ions Corporatio­n.

In August 2022, the Pakistan Telecommun­ication Authority (PTA), while renewing the mobile licence of CMPak (Zong) for PoK, gave permission to expand Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) in the region.