ISLAMABAD: Attacks byseparatistmilitants inPakistan's southwestern province ofBalochistanaimed at stopping development projects that form part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifsaid on Tuesday.The assaults begun on Sunday, killing more than 70, were the most widespread in years by ethnicmilitantsseeking to win secession of the resource-rich province, home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine."The terrorists want to stop CPEC and development projects," Sharif said in a televised address to the cabinet, adding that the purpose was also to drive a wedge between Islamabad andBeijing. CPEC, said to have development commitments worth $65 billion, is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative.Pakistan has not been able to fully build the infrastructure needed to tap mineral resources in poverty-stricken Balochistan, and has sought China's help in developing the province. In the past, Beijing has flagged concerns about the security of its citizens working on projects in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. Six Chinese engineers working on a dam project were killed in March in the northwest.Separatist militants have consistently targeted Balochistan's deep water port of Gwadar, run by China. A militant group, theBalochistan Liberation Army(BLA), took responsibility for this week's simultaneous attacks on police stations, railway lines, and highways in the province, the largest but least developed of Pakistan's four.
