CPEC: Ten labourers shot dead in Gwadar

GWADAR - At least ten labourers, who were busy in road construction, were killed by unknown attackers on Saturday in Pushkan and Gunt, areas in Gwadar, Balochistan.

According to local media, unknown assailants opened fire at two different places in Gwadar on labourers and killed nine, besides injuring two others.

Efforts are being made to quickly shift the dead bodies and the critically injured labourers to a hospital in Gwadar.

According to initial reports, the deceased hailed from Sindh areas including Nowshehro Feroz.

Gwadar forms the southern Pakistan hub of a $57 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) of infrastructure and energy projects.

Following the importance of the multi-billion dollars CPEC project, anti-state elements are conspiring against the project as they are unhappy with the development of the Balochistan and Gwadar.

On May 12, a top US National Intelligence Director Daniel Coats warned China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would provide militant groups operating within Pakistan with “additional targets”.

During a Congressional hearing listed a number of groups, he said, pose threat to Pakistan’s internal security.

“The groups we judge will pose the greatest threat to Pakistan’s internal security include Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan, Jamaat ul-Ahrar, Al Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, ISIS-K, Laskhare Jhangvi, and Lashkar-e Jhangvi al-Alami.”

“Anti-Pakistan groups will probably focus more on soft targets. The emerging China Pakistan Economic Corridor will probably offer militants and terrorists additional targets,” Coats said.