Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, met with members of the anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) lobby in Washington in a desperate attempt to influence the new Trump administration in the United States. Naqvi’s engagement with the “New Federal State of China” (NFSC) — a political movement aimed at overthrowing the CCP, led by exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui and former U.S. strategist Steve Bannon — has raised serious concerns in Pakistan. Reports indicate that Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir sent Naqvi to Washington during President Donald Trump’s ceremony to initiate lobbying efforts with the new administration. Notably, senior Republican leaders and Trump supporters have been calling for Imran Khan’s release, which has created pressure on the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government in Islamabad. More importantly, General Munir fears a backlash from the new Trump administration for playing a pivotal role in imprisoning Khan and committing human rights violations against members of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
As a result, Islamabad has chosen to accelerate its lobbying efforts to appeal to Republican congressmen and those close to President Trump. Analysts believe that Pakistan’s apparent opportunism to strengthen ties with the U.S. has upset Beijing, which expects more anti-China policies from Islamabad and potential delays in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Naqvi’s embarrassing trip to Washington has caused divisions within the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, as many lawmakers question why Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was not sent to the U.S. Reports suggest that Naqvi is a direct appointee and “brother-in-law” of General Munir, and his visit to the U.S. was a targeted lobbying effort to enhance the Pakistani military’s image in Washington. The Pakistani government was not invited to President Trump’s inauguration ceremony on January 20.
Interestingly, Pakistan’s foreign ministry distanced itself from Naqvi’s meeting with members of the group advocating for the dismantlement of China’s CCP. Naqvi claimed that the purpose of his visit was to meet American politicians to devise “an effective plan against terrorism.” He further said that his meetings with members of Congress were productive, stressing that “terrorism is not just Pakistan’s issue but a collective fight.” Many commentators believe that the new Trump administration’s hawkish policy on Afghanistan, especially on the counterterrorism issue, could be the only opening for Pakistan. To defend himself, Naqvi claimed, “I did not go to any anti-China function, and the opponents are spreading venomous propaganda, but such propaganda does not matter.”
According to a post on X/Twitter on the issue, “It’s a sad sight-seeing Mohsin Naqvi run from pillar to post to get a picture with any senior Trump team member. No luck so far hence stood with random former British parliamentarians and then forwarded the pictures to media himself.” Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute Director at Washington-based The Wilson Center, confirmed the meeting in a social media post, “Unbelievable! While on his trip to DC, Pakistan’s interior minister reportedly attended an event hosted by…a group that calls for the overthrow of China’s CCP. That’s a colossal mistake, if true. It could provoke a diplomatic crisis with Pakistan’s most critical partner.”
This development will cause tensions between China and Pakistan, which are already struggling to manage ties over issues such as the slowdown in CPEC, increasing terror attacks on Chinese nationals, and delays in the repayment of loans by Pakistan. Beijing is now openly expressing its frustration over Pakistan’s inability to address these issues and playing a ‘double game’ to get closer to the United States. In a recent interview, Wang Shengjie, China’s political secretary to Pakistan, voiced unusually candid criticism of Pakistan over the threats facing CPEC and expressed “serious concerns” over the future of China’s multibillion-dollar investment in the country. Shengjie accused the Pakistani government of using “false rhetoric” around CPEC projects, which had given unrealistic expectations to locals. He said, “We don’t work in rhetoric like Pakistan – we just focus on development.”
In October 2024, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, issued a rare warning, accusing Islamabad of ongoing security failures regarding Chinese workers. Jiang stated that the violence is “unacceptable” and creates “a constraint” on Chinese investments in Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative. In June, President Xi warned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and projects for successful bilateral business collaboration. Furthermore, most official delegations from China have cited security concerns as a key obstacle to advancing CPEC projects. These remarks reflect growing frustration in Beijing over Islamabad’s incompetence in handling domestic security and fulfilling bilateral economic objectives.
On the other hand, several Pakistani officials in Gwadar, Balochistan, working on CPEC, reported that their experience led them to believe the projects were not purely commercial endeavors for the Chinese. Instead, it was widely felt that China ultimately intended to use the deepwater port as a strategic military base for its navy and the airport as a resource for its military. For the local population in Balochistan, the increasing Chinese footprint means the further loss of territory to the “outsiders.” Mahrang Baloch, convenor of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), posted on X/Twitter last year, “The colonial project of fencing of Gwadar is part of CPEC, which aims to evict the local population of Gwadar and hand over Gwadar to China. But we, the local population, will not hand over our land and sea to foreigners in any case, nor will we allow any such project to succeed.”
Since the inception of CPEC in 2015, Islamabad has de-facto surrendered the port city of Gwadar to the Chinese government. However, Pakistan’s economic and security failures have caused frustration in Beijing and raised doubts about the CPEC’s future. Additionally, Islamabad is now making desperate efforts to improve ties with Washington after five turbulent years. Naqvi’s recent attendance at the anti-China event in the U.S. is a clear sign that Pakistan’s military establishment will now prioritize ties with the Trump administration at the cost of angering the Chinese. This opportunistic policy may further jeopardize Sino-Pakistani ties and cause delays in CPEC projects.