Critical infrastructure and security dynamics: Asymmetric threats and Gwadar security (2018–2026)

Abstract

This article attempts to analyse the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) based on the Securitization-Development Paradox in the context of the Gwadar Port by taking a cue from 2018 to 2026. Development was coupled with the rising asymmetric campaign of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their special force called the ‘Majeed Brigade' who wanted to slow down the industrialization and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) during Phase-II. Utilizing the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) methodology and process-tracing methods, the study assesses the tactical transformation in the BLA's methods from ambushes in rural areas to planned urban fedayeen attacks, attacks on foreign personnel and simultaneous interdictions of transportation systems for economic attrition. The state responded by creating a very fortified "enclave securitization" system through the Special Security Division (SSD), maritime task forces and biometric surveillance perimeters. Protection of primary port terminals limited local mobility, undermined livelihoods of artisanal fishermen and neglected the shortfalls in municipal utilities, which led to a massively mobilized civic movement against the military (Haq Do Tehreek) and dissuaded private foreign direct investment.