Patrolling by Pakistani soldiers in vehicles demonstrates the active presence of the military in safeguarding the routes of CPEC. The CPEC is a 3000 km long network of roads, railways, and energy pipelines that will connect Gwadar Port in Pakistan to Xinjiang in China, with an estimated value in the billions of US dollars. Considered a game-changer for national and regional development, the security of CPEC has become a top priority for the military. After repeated attacks on Chinese workers, Pakistan established a Special Security Division (SSD) in 2017 to specifically protect CPEC projects and Chinese nationals. The creation of SSD highlights Islamabad’s concern for defending this major project in the China-Pakistan relationship.
In early 2015, the Pakistani leadership showed a strong interest in the security of the CPEC. While addressing Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Mamnoon Hussain announced that a special force of approximately 10,000 to 12,000 troops will be created to guard Chinese engineers traveling on CPEC pathways.
Source: Dawn News
According to ISPR, the “Special Security Division” would consist of nine battalions of the Army infantry and six wings of paramilitary forces (Rangers and Frontier Corps), who would be put under the command of a Major General. By January 2017, the Interior Ministry granted the SSD official approval. According to the officials of the Planning Division, it would consist of approximately 15,000 troops (9,000 Army soldiers and 6,000 civil armed forces) and its only task would be to protect CPEC infrastructures and Chinese workers. Defense authorities informed a parliamentary panel that the mandate of the SSD is targeted explicitly at protecting Chinese workers and projects along the 3,000 km long corridor.
Organization and Collaboration
The SSD is currently structured as a division-sized unit in the order of battle of the Pakistan Army. It is effectively designated the 34th Light Infantry Division, recently supplemented by a 44th Light Infantry Division (est. 2020) to bolster CPEC security. It comprises 9,000 military personnel and 6,000 paramilitary wings (15,000 troops) spread across the country. The Punjab and Sindh Rangers, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan Frontier Corps, and other provincial units are part of the SSD.
Source: Dawn News
The Division is commanded by a two-star Major General who is under the Army Headquarters. A significant proportion of its units utilize elite counter-terror forces. Military sources indicate that among the approximately 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers available to serve in the SSD, more than 5,000 are members of the Army Special Services Group (SSG), who have undergone training in counter-terrorism operations.
As a unit serving under the Army, the SSD works closely with the civilian authorities. The deployment notice is provided by the Ministry of the Interior, and provincial governments are required to requisition troops for SSD operations formally. Practically, it implies that SSD brigades act in collaboration with local police and paramilitary units. Provincial and regional governments offer logistics and other security mechanisms. In Gilgit-Baltistan, SSD commanders are reportedly consulting with the regional government over employing retired army officers to protect CPEC and even creating a dedicated CPEC police force.
Source: The Express Tribune
These steps, along with the simultaneous introduction of intelligence and SOPs at the Interior Ministry, establish a civil-military security framework around CPEC. Pakistan has also established a naval-based “Task Force-88” to secure the Gwadar port, and marine units have secured sensitive sea lanes. SSD units exist to patrol land routes and projects, complemented by the Navy and Marines. The combination of these arrangements provides the SSD with a broad mandate to safeguard the entire CPEC corridor.
Geopolitical Threats Shaping the SSD
The security establishment in Pakistan observes that a multi-faceted security situation surrounds the CPEC. On the domestic front, the Chinese interests have been targeted by foreign-funded terrorist groups in Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Baluchistan, a separatist group known as the Fitna-al-Hindustan has attacked pipelines, Gwadar projects, and transport convoys several times. As an example, in 2017, BLA/FAH asserted responsibility for a fatal attack on Gwadar workers, expressly mentioning CPEC as the justification. The security challenges are further exemplified by insurgent-type attacks on Chinese engineers in KP (e.g., the 2023 Chitral bus bombing).
Source: IAS
Externally, Pakistan officially claims India for the unrest that derailed CPEC. The Foreign Office, in briefings to the press, has asserted that terror activities against Pakistan are funded and controlled by Indian State Agencies, including conspiracies to. Among such, most notable was the conviction of Indian agent Kulbhushan Jadhav, whose confession cited attacks on CPEC (planned attacks).
Source: Business Recorder
All these threats, local militancy aided or encouraged by foreign proxies, have fortified the role of SSD. The Division works with a strong counterterror posture, escorting Chinese workers and preventing attacks by militant cells, under a so-called security umbrella tailor-made to eliminate both insurgent and foreign threats to CPEC.
Conclusion
CPEC is a crucial component of Pakistan’s economic vision, and the Special Security Division (SSD) demonstrates the military’s commitment to its protection. The reinforcement of the statements by the Pakistan leadership that CPEC security is a national duty was based on the fact that cooperation in the region is more than confrontation. The SSD is vital in transforming CPEC into a stable platform of national development and regional linkage by ensuring the safety of major infrastructural constructs and enhancing investor confidence.
