Militant attacks in Pakistan delay launch of China-backed airport, say sources

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – The start of operations at a Chinese-funded airport in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has been pushed back for a security review after last week’s deadly attacks by separatist militants in the area, government and aviation sources said.

More than 70 people were killed in the coordinated attacks across Balochistan, where militants seeking the resource-rich region’s secession have been targeting government forces and projects being developed as part of the $65-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, the Pakistan programme is also developing a deep-water port near the new $200-million airport in Gwadar, a joint venture between Pakistan, Oman, and China that is close to completion.

It will handle domestic and international flights, according to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and will be one of the country’s biggest airports.

The initial plan was for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to inaugurate the airport on Aug. 14 alongside Chinese officials, but that was called off after an ethnic Baloch rights group started a sit-in protest, the officials said.