Khuram Iqbal

is Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations, National Defense University in Islamabad, Pakistan.

1 Historically China was connected with the Indian sub-continent through three Silk Roads and the southern route linked the Middle Kingdom with the East Bengal (now areas comprising modern-day Bangladesh).

2 Debasish Roy Chowdhury, “Exclusive: How China-sri Lanka Relations Are Getting New Wings,” South China Morning Post, December 3, 2016, http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2051323/ exclusive-how-china-sri-lanka-relations-are-getting-new-wings.

3 “‘China-maldives Friendship Bridge’ Project Launched,” Maldives Independent, December 31, 2015, http://maldivesindependent.com/business/china-maldives-friendship-bridge-project-launched-121081.

4 David Blair, “Pakistan: the World’s Most Dangerous Country,” The Telegraph, November 6, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1568535/pakistan-the-worlds-most-dangerous-country.html; Ron Moreau, “Pakistan: The Most Dangerous?” Newsweek, October 20, 2007, http://europe.newsweek. com/pakistan-most-dangerous-102955?rm=eu.

5 Daniel Runde, “Pakistan: The Next Colombia Success Story?” Forbes, August 3, 2015, https://www. forbes.com/sites/danielrunde/2015/08/03/pakistan-the-next-colombia-success-story/#13d498b330da.

6 Wali Zahid, “Pakistan Predicted to Be World’s Fastest-growing Muslim Economy In 2017,” The Express Tribune, January 10, 2017, https://tribune.com.pk/story/1290084/pakistan-predicted-worlds-fastestgrowing-muslim-economy-2017.

7 Hidalgo Hausmann, et al., The Atlas of Economic Complexity, Harvard University Center for International Development, 2014.

8 “CPEC ‘unacceptable’ to India, Modi tells China,” Geo News, June 2, 2015, https://www.geo.tv/ latest/3473-cpec-unacceptable-to-india-modi-tells-china.

9 The initiative is fluid, hence the implementation cost is likely to fluctuate.

10 “CPEC Investment Soars to $55bn after New Chinese Loan” The Nation, November 23, 2016, http:// nation.com.pk/business/23-nov-2016/pakistan-secures-extra-8-5bn-chinese-investments-in-rail-energy.

11 “The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road,” May 2015, Flung Business Intelligence Centre, https://www.fbicgroup.com/sites/default/files/the%20silk%20road%20economic%20 Belt%20and%2021st%20century%20maritime%20silk%20road%20may%2015.pdf.

12 Mateen Haider and Irfan Haider, “Economic Corridor in Focus as Pakistan-china Sign 51 Mous,” Dawn, April 20, 2015, http://www.dawn.com/news/1177109.

13 Muhammad Zafar, “First Chinese Trade Convoy Arrives in Gwadar through CPEC,” The Express Tribune, November 12, 2016, https://tribune.com.pk/story/1228780/first-chinese-trade-convoy-arrivesgwadar-cpec.

14 Robert D. Kaplan, “The Geography of Chinese Power,” Foreign Affairs, May/june 2010, https://www. foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2010-05-01/geography-chinese-power.

16 Chief Minister’s Policy Reform Unit of the Government of Balochistan, “China-pakistan Economic Corridor: The Route Controversy,” p.3, http://cmpru.gob.pk/reports/cpec.pdf.

17 Web Desk, “Eastern Route for CPEC May Foster Enmity between Provinces, Warns Imran,” The Express Tribune, September 30, 2015, http://tribune.com.pk/story/965041/eastern-route-for-cpec-mayfoster-enmity-between-provinces-warns-imran.

18 Aarish U. Khan, “Pak-china Economic Corridor: The Hopes and Reality,” Regional Studies XXXIII, No.1 (2014).

19 Andrew Small, The China Pakistan Axis: Asia’s New Geopolitics, Oxford University Press, 2015.

20 “Khasif blames India for Gwadar incident” Pakistan Today, May 15, 2017, https://www.pakistantoday. com.pk/2017/05/14/kh-asif-blames-india-for-gwadar-incident.

21 Chaarvi Modi, “Highlights: Narendra Modi’s Speech on India’s 70th Independence Day,” August 15, 2016, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2824943.

22 Usman Shahid, “Balochistan: The Troubled Heart of the CPEC,” The Diplomat, August 23, 2016, http://thediplomat.com/2016/08/balochistan-the-troubled-heart-of-the-cpec.

23 “Lt Gen Aamir Invites India to Join CPEC,” Express Tribune, December 21, 2016, https://tribune.com. pk/story/1269691/olive-branch-lt-gen-aamir-invites-india-join-cpec.

24 From December 2014 till June 2016, the Pakistan Army and civilian law enforcement agencies carried out approximately 19,347 intelligence-based operations in different parts of the country, which killed 213 terrorists and led to the arrests of thousands of sleeper cells of terrorist organizations including Daesh. For more details see “Gains in Operations but NAP Needs Govt Action: Army,” Dawn, June 16, 2016, http:// www.dawn.com/news/1265185.

25 Jon Boone, “Chinese Engineer and Driver Injured in Karachi Separatist Bombing.” The Guardian, May 30, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/30/chinese-worker-driver-injured-karachibombing-claimed-separatists.

26 “Pakistan: Chinese Engineer Survives Roadside Bombing in Sindh,” The Indian Express, December 14, 2016. http://indianexpress.com/article/world/pakistan-chinese-engineer-survives-roadside-bombing-insindh-4427239.