Opinion | China’s Influence in PoK and CPEC: Implications for India

What really strikes me is how CPEC might one day backfire on Pakistan. While Islamabad celebrates short-term economic relief from China, it may actually be surrendering its sovereignty. Already, we see murmurs among locals in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan about land encroachments, cultural erosion, and a lack of consultation in CPEC projects. It is no longer a hidden fact. Pakistan is becoming a client state of China, and PoK is one of the bargaining chips.
I remember once speaking to a local political analyst in Kupwara who told me, “If you want to understand the gravity of the China-Pakistan nexus, don’t just look at borders, look at roads being laid deep into disputed territory.” That conversation has stayed with me. And as I pen this today, I realise how sharply those words resonate in the context of China’s growing footprint in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). To the world, CPEC might look like a development marvel, a $60 billion initiative that promises to transform Pakistan’s economic infrastructure by linking Gwadar Port in Balochistan to Kashgar in China. However, for us, for those who live in Jammu & Kashmir and know the pain of divided land, CPEC is a geopolitical provocation disguised as development. The project blatantly runs through Gilgit-Baltistan, a region that legally belongs to India but has been under Pakistan’s illegal occupation since 1947. China, by investing heavily in infrastructure and energy projects in this territory, has not only violated India’s sovereignty but has also legitimised Pakistan’s illegal control over PoK. And here is the thing, it is not just about building roads, tunnels, and railways. It is about expanding geopolitical influence, military logistics, and resource access. In simpler terms, it is about control.
Back home in Kashmir, these developments are not abstract, they worry us deeply. I have spoken to veterans, retired diplomats, and even my own professors during my college days in Jammu, and a common concern echoes: China is not merely investing in land, it is investing in a long-term strategic advantage against India. The military dual-use nature of CPEC highways, the Chinese presence near the Siachen Glacier and India’s northern frontier, and Beijing’s direct involvement in regional politics and all these point to the fact that their interest is not in trade, but in territory and dominance. And this does not end at infrastructure. We now see reports of Chinese security personnel, surveillance equipment, and even satellite networks functioning deep inside PoK. This is dangerous. It creates a two-front security challenge for India, with Pakistan on one side and China emboldened on the other. Amidst all this, the people of PoK continue to be ignored, manipulated, and used as pawns in a global power game. Neither Pakistan nor China has ever asked what they want. It reminds me of the adage we often use here: “Zameen hamari, faisla kisi aur ka.” (The land is ours, but decisions are made by someone else.) India has rightfully voiced its concerns on international platforms and strongly reiterated its claim over PoK. The abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 was a strong internal signal that India considers J&K as one, united entity. The statements by the Ministry of External Affairs rejecting the legitimacy of any activity by China or Pakistan in PoK are bold steps, but they must be followed by more than words. Infrastructure along the Line of Control, global diplomatic engagement, and exposing human rights abuses in PoK — these must be our long-term counters.
What really strikes me is how CPEC might one day backfire on Pakistan. While Islamabad celebrates short-term economic relief from China, it may actually be surrendering its sovereignty. Already, we see murmurs among locals in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan about land encroachments, cultural erosion, and a lack of consultation in CPEC projects. It is no longer a hidden fact. Pakistan is becoming a client state of China, and PoK is one of the bargaining chips. As a Kashmiri, I can say with full conviction that India needs to treat the Chinese presence in PoK not just as an external threat but as a call for urgency. The soul of Kashmir has suffered enough. We cannot allow foreign powers to further mess with the future of our land and people. Today it is roads and railways, tomorrow it might be missiles and bases. And if we are not watchful, we might wake up to a changed map not drawn in Delhi but in Beijing. Let us never forget, Gilgit-Baltistan is not a corridor for foreign nations. It is a land of ancient routes, dreams, and its people, and it rightfully belongs to India.
Email: vadiekashmir@gmail.com