C3S ISSUE BRIEF 30/26 - Insurgencies and CPOJKEC Security Architecture: The Emergence of Chinese Private Security Companies (PSCs) in Pakistan.
By Leela S, Research Intern, C3S
Guided By Col. Hariharan
Introduction
The China-Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir Economic Corridor (CPOJKEC), a $65 billion flagship project under the “Belt and Road” initiative, was first proposed in 2013 by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Pakistan and officially launched in 2015. It further accelerated rapidly during President Xi’s visit to Pakistan in 2015, when both states agreed on the “1+4” structure of the corridor, positioning CPOJKEC at the centre of cooperation and anchoring it in Gwadar Port, energy, transport infrastructure, and industrial cooperation (Chinoy, 2021). It is considered the key pillar of “China’s geo-strategic” and economic blueprint for the region, leveraging Pakistan’s “all-weather strategic partnership” to secure a strategic position in South Asia and the Arabian Sea (Chinoy, 2021). The CPOJKEC Long-Term Plan (2017-2030), released jointly by Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), outlines the entire corridor development framework into three distinct operational horizons: (1) Short-term projects till 2020, (2) Medium-term projects till 2025, and (3) Long-term projects till 2030. Since its launch over the past decade, the corridor has witnessed the completion of several key projects, including the Sahiwal Coal-Fired Power Plant, the Port Qasim Coal Power Project, the modernisation of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), and the establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) such as Rashakai and Allama Iqbal Industrial City, all of which signify its progress. Given this background, during the 14th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting in 2025, China and Pakistan launched Phase II of the CPOJKEC, formally incorporating the framework of “5Es: Exports, E-Pakistan, Energy/Environment, Equity and Empowerment.” Some of the most crucial projects are concentrated on the strategically significant yet politically unstable provinces of Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which continuously face critical security threats, primarily from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), inter alia, highlighting the increasing demand for a new security apparatus. Moreover, these security threats have disrupted the project timeline, doubled the investment cost, resulted in losses, and claimed the lives of more than 60 Chinese nationals working under CPOJKEC in Pakistan (Ali, 2024). Thus, these attacks raise critical questions regarding the persistent targeting of CPOJKEC and Chinese nationals, and the highly contested presence of the
Chinese Private Security Companies (PSCs) in Pakistan. This paper examines the strategic significance of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by an exploration of the motivations of insurgents such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It further examines the security measures taken by Pakistan and the militarisation of the CPOJKEC, followed by a discussion of the presence of Chinese Private Security Companies in Pakistan. Finally, it analyses the evolving security framework and the broader implications of these developments for regional security dynamics.
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(Leela S is a Research Intern at C3S. The views expressed here are of the author's own and do not reflect the views of C3S.)
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