Abstract:

CPEC is a megaproject that aims to bring economic prosperity to Pakistan. The key purpose of the dissertation is to investigate the influence of the social welfare impact of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on Baluchistan Province.  The research article is based on an analysis of the projects by CPEC and how much social change has been instigated through the establishment of the schemes by CPEC. The theme of the article is social influence, this is the main perspective of the examination in this dissertation vis-à-vis CPEC in Baluchistan. The examination article has been oriented towards a social goal, therefore, this study has a qualitative and quantitative approach mainly sourcing primary and secondary data. The research dissertation has found that the CPEC, from its establishment, has had an economic alignment, and has influenced social growth mainly indirectly.

Key Words:

CPEC, Gwadar, Socio-Economic, Strategic

Introduction

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an initiative between the government of Pakistan and China. CPEC is considered a crown jewel of BRI through which China aims to prove itself as a trusted partner for the Global South.

CPEC has been one of the most prominent BRIs in Asia, connecting Gwadar to China. The Collection of constructed and ongoing Economic and infrastructure projects is a part of a globalization project. Baluchistan has been one of the prime beneficiaries of the programs and initiatives by the BRI to promote economic, social development and alleviate poverty.

With the need for economic integrity, social and geopolitical development, CPEC has been keen to strengthen Baluchistan domestically. The Province of Baluchistan has been neglected, leaving the region being the most underprivileged in Pakistan. The CPEC has not been in a position of entire control over the challenges in Baluchistan that have impeded the social, political and economic progress of the province. The study’s social focus on Baluchistan will analyze how much the CPEC has become revolutionary towards its social objective in the province. There is a need to discern the current situation from a social focal point and debunk the myths that root conspiracies amongst the Baluchistan locals. The contemplation of China becoming a reliable strategic partner for Pakistan should have impacted the region of Baluchistan to curb the extreme levels of poverty and

underdevelopment.

The prosperous economic corridor was initiated in May 2013 with the intention to link Pakistan China both countries with economic and rapid infrastructural development. The Gwadar port was to be connected with the Karakoram High Way which was built in 1959 and is an essential part of the CPEC. Therefore, in 2012, Pakistan’s President, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari in collaboration with the Chinese Authority took the initiative to connect the two countries. The Gwadar port was handed to the Chinese authority in 2012 under the BRI project. The economic corridor, however, will create unprecedented opportunities for Pakistan as well as China because it will engage a huge number of employees from both countries. Besides this, there will be other major and minor projects would be linked to the CPEC for the benefit of Pakistan. Consequently, both countries took the step; put themselves in a memorandum for mutual benefits.

Under the umbrella of CPEC, it will connect the Gwadar port in Baluchistan all the way to China. 



CPEC Coverage

“This map of Pakistan and the CPEC, trail from Gwadar Port in Gwadar District, Baluchistan Province extending all the way to China” b (Instagram, 2019).

The CPEC involves a series of projects that are to benefit both the economies of China and Pakistan (The News 2018). The initiative has had implementations that have benefitted Pakistan economically, including the establishment of a stable trade connection and the formulation of job opportunities. The study, however, emphasized the social development of CPEC specifically in Baluchistan province. CPEC in its functionality has focused on several pillars that guide its objectives.

The seven pillars of the CPEC are laid out in a long-term plan that ends in 2030.

The pillars include:

• Agricultural development and poverty alleviation

• Connectivity

• Energy

• Financial cooperation

• People's livelihood and non-governmental exchanges

• Tourism

• Trade and Industrial parks

The study aims to analyze the effects of the multi-billion dollars corridor which have both short and long term projects in two dimension i.e. social welfare and reduction of poverty. This article evaluates the CPEC which aims at transforming the lives of the inhabitants and inducing welfare benefits among them. This article would give a comprehensive overview of the project and its long-standing impacts on Balochistan and Pakistan. 

The study fills those informational gaps of the socio-economic influence under the CPEC, in Baluchistan Province, which is the main target of the research. The dissertation considers the achievements of the CPEC in Baluchistan and compares them to the goals of social welfare. 

The study exposes the current perceptions endorsed by the people of Baluchistan and recommends the best practices for the situation for both the locals and CPEC. The study edifies its audience in attaining harmony of objectives in Baluchistan between CPEC and the locals.




Theoretical Framework

The theory that pivots the hypothesis in this research article is the theory of Social transformation by Teune and Milner (1978). Social transformation is the social change (in large scale terms) of cultural norms and reforms. It is also defined as a process that involves an individual or a group in a particular generation altering the ascribed predecessors’ social status to a status of social achievement for themselves (Fozdar, 2018).

The Social Transformation Theory 

“involves developing, a conscience within the society, an organization or the government so that reality is defined by a consensus and induces altering attitudes and norms to a new subject of understanding (Fozdar, 2018)”. This theory will go through the creation of a new understanding of society. However, it is prognosticated that it will a holistic atmosphere in the targeted community. 

The social transformation theory is also valid on the social impact of the different influential organizations in Baluchistan. Moreover, it fulfils the gaps induced by resentment of the Baluchi community over CPEC. The CPEC should, bridge the Baluchi community over their ambiguous reservation and the perks of CPEC which brings their conflict into some viable agreement.

According to my opinion, “it evidently displays that the CPEC’s socio-economic projects will influence the social welfare of the people of Baluchistan. The CPEC last year formulated new plans that have socio-economic objectives, with projects such as the development of Gwadar University that are to be completed by the end of next year. The social venture by the CPEC has been concentrated on more slightly, as from 2018, the organization planned for plenty of projects, in the social sector.”

To attain social transformation, the understanding of a perspective or an idea by CPEC should be ensured by a cluster of people in Baluchistan. Social transformation involves attaining a consensus, therefore, the CPEC should target a mutual social relationship between a few inhabitants of the province. In this context, the participation of the people of Balochistan in the activities and projects and CPEC will enable a reliable bond between the locals and CPEC. 




Contribution of CPEC to the Social Welfare of Baluchistan

The right organization of the society and the nature of the political and social institutions have been largely influenced by CPEC over the past 6 years. CPEC has affected the social standard of Baluchistan, majorly indirectly by reducing poverty and increasing the human development index. CPEC is playing a crucial role in bringing social stability to Baluchistan and has been influential in dealing with some of the daunting problems of Baluchistan such as the creation of employment opportunities for the locals of the province. 

The orientation of the communal objectives by CPEC in Balochistan remained in limelight for a few years. The reason behind this attention is the economic and huge infrastructure development in the province. CPEC will not exercise its entire efficacy without providing stable social welfare to the locals of Baluchistan. 

CPEC has played the main role in bridging the gap between poverty and low development index in Baluchistan, where the project has been primarily based in the area. The development of health centres and education institutions by the government, IGOs and NGOs has been primarily engineered and power-housed by CPEC. CPEC has been at the forefront of investing in Baluchistan, even after conspiracies that Baluch soil is subjugated to serve the safety of others.

The picture portrayed by media over the socio-economic factor of CPEC in Baluchistan was highlighted recently, whereas this article encompasses all vital spheres. According to the 2018 plan of CPEC, socio-economic speculations are more than in the recent 4 years (Melecky, Roberts, & Sharma, 2019).

The mega project likewise addresses the social issue in the province such as the sense of deprivation and other social injustices which our Bloch people many times cited. By establishing prosperity and economic opportunities in the Balochistan province, the inhabitants will feel more prosperous as the successful development of the project is directly linked to the prosperity of the inhabitant. The economic corridor, however, will create unprecedented opportunities for Pakistan as well as China because it will engage a huge number of employees from both countries. Besides this, there will be other major and minor projects would be linked to the CPEC for the benefit of Pakistan. Consequently, both countries took the step; put themselves in a memorandum for mutual benefits.

Table 1.

p- ISSN: 2708-2105	p- ISSN: 2709-9458			L-ISSN: 2708-2105
DOI: 10.31703/gpsrr.2022(V-I).01		|	Vol. V, No. I (Volume 2022)
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gpsrr.2022(V-I).01		|	Pages: 1 – 12

Transformation of Baluchistan Society under CPEC

CPEC, since being established in 2013, has had focused on fields such as energy, transportation and infrastructure. The CPEC restructured its orientation in 2018 to a more socially concerned objective. In Baluchistan, the social influence of CPEC has been indirect. CPEC has enabled the placement of about 70000 youths in Universities and colleges in China and Pakistan (Melecky, Roberts, & Sharma,2019) the project has also provided internship opportunities for some students at the industries, plants and projects by CPEC. The social venture of CPEC has received re-orientation even in the education field with the establishment of Gwadar University.

In 2018, the CPEC kicked off the socio-economic projects for Balochistan, and precedent to the previous years, many projects were only economically oriented. The consideration for social projects rose from “16% in 2016 to about 40% by December 2018 (Khan, & Li. 2018).” This is because the state of Balochistan has a high poverty rate due to which socio-political instability exist there.

CPEC is a collection of implementations that owns a number of electricity projects, however, in Baluchistan province, only about 25% is covered by electricity. This shows that Baluchistan is the most poverty-stricken area



Graph2

According to reports, “the literacy levels of Baluchistan, when compared to the rest of Pakistan, stands at 30 per cent for Baluchistan and 50 per cent for other provinces in Pakistan (Ahmad, et., al. 2018).”

The mega project also addresses the social issue in the province such as the low level of literacy rate, the sense of deprivation, and other social injustices which our Bloch people many times cited. By establishing prosperity and economic opportunities in the Balochistan province, the inhabitants will feel more prosperous as the successful development of the project is directly linked to the prosperity of Pakistan and Balochistan.

Graph2

According to reports, “the literacy levels of Baluchistan, when compared to the rest of Pakistan, stands at 30 per cent for Baluchistan and 50 per cent for other provinces in Pakistan (Ahmad, et., al. 2018).”

The mega project also addresses the social issue in the province such as the low level of literacy rate, the sense of deprivation, and other social injustices which our Bloch people many times cited. By establishing prosperity and economic opportunities in the Balochistan province, the inhabitants will feel more prosperous as the successful development of the project is directly linked to the prosperity of Pakistan and Balochistan.

Table 1.

Project	Budget	Details	Completion Due
Establishment of Technical and Vocational Institute in Gwadar	$10.00m	“This project is amongst the preceding projects to increase the literacy levels of Baluchistan. The project is to train the locals of Baluchistan in order to exploit business opportunities in various business fields in Baluchistan; including marine, transport, and construction and building. The Pakistan government contributed about 200 million rupees towards the project.”	March 2016
Establishment of the University of the Gwadar	2 Billion Rupees	“This is among the recent projects by the CPEC in social Sector Development.The project is in its proposal process and the budget details shall be released at its launch. This project will lead the set of social projects that are to be implemented in Baluchistan by the CPEC.”	Initiation,has only been proposed, therefore has not even started yet.
The Project of Gwadar Livelihood	Inestimable	“This is a socioeconomic implementation that is targeted by the CPEC. This project entails the growth of the living standards of the people of Baluchistan. The project aims to grow the dependency levels of the families in Baluchistan and promote their methods of obtaining livelihood thus positively affecting their living standards.”	A project is a gradual implementation therefore it cannot be scaled in a quantitative manner.
CPEC has laid the foundation of a 300-bed Hospital	270 million Rupees.	“This followed the development of several expressways to connect the Gwadar port to the Makran coastal highway through the hospital.”	Inaugurated in April 2017.

Prognosis of Socio-economic Endeavours by CPEC on Baluchistan: Expansion of Social Sector

A study conducted by the scholar where has laid that the “CPEC has reviewed its plans to contribute to social goals more indirectly than directly as it has created opportunities and improved the living standards. The studies suggested that CPEC has had a significant impact on the rehabilitation of the nation’s industrial units which are passing through deterioration. In addition, further studies concluded that the employment rate has increased and hence the poverty level will reduce due to generating local employment opportunities in Pakistan rather than outsourcing from other nations (Saeed 2017).”

The main focus is subject to the direction of CPEC where “the projects would unveil the benefits to western, central and southeastern countries from an economic perspective but still end up affecting the social sector positively. Furthermore, it is concluded that CPEC has increased the social connectivity between the people of both nations, by reducing the time for travelling between the nations and this has helped the people to reach the advanced level of health care utilization, education and infrastructure facility. As a result, the whole project accelerates the regional perspective of global development (Saeed 2017)”.

Since 2013, the prime focus of the CPEC is the development of the technical and economic sector not in the Balochistan province but also across Pakistan by connecting all phases of development with the route of CPEC.

The mega project will strengthen the nexus between China and Pakistan where both states share their culture, language, history, and food. This will prove to be a dynamic because it will bring the people of both states together; consequently, CPEC will make both states more pluralistic and diverse. 

Besides this, the CPEC road will also benefit the neighbouring area from where the route is passing. As it has an eastern and western route, it will bring prosperity to the areas from which the CPEC route is passing. Thousands of people will get employment, as a result, the state will be economically boosted. 

References

• Ahmad, R., Mi, H., Keyao, R., Khan, K., & Navid, K. (2018). Aging and social security system in Pakistan: policy challenges, opportunities, and role of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Educational Gerontology, 44(9), 537-550.
• Wasim, S. S. (2018, December 27). Analysis of CPEC Projects and Effect on Construction Sector of Pakistan | International Journal of Social Sciences, Humanities and Education. 2(3)
• BBC News. (2019, May 12). Pakistan attack: Gunmen storm five-star hotel in Balochistan.
• C.P.E.C. (2018a). Myths and Realities. The News.
• C.P.E.C. (2019). Myths and Realities. The News.
• C.P.E.C. (2019). Myths and Realities. The News.
• Fozdar, F. (2018). Social Transformation and the Individual: Opportunities and Limitations. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 39(2), 129-144.