AS 2026 marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, the historic milestone should be a moment of national reflection on a partnership that has been rightly termed the “iron-clad” guarantor of our sovereignty, qualitative industrialization and prosperity. A series of high-level ceremonies and seminars have celebrated this enduring bond. Yet, paradoxically, this year has also witnessed a painful and peculiar surge in domestic criticism aimed directly at the heart of this friendship specifically, the transformative China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its upgraded Phase 2.0.

A disinformation blitz is underway across vlogs, YouTube commentaries and electronic media, where a new narrative war is being waged. This assault is not organic dissent but a synthetic contagion propagated by pseudo-intellectuals, self-styled economists, rent-seeking former bureaucrats and puppetry journalism. By deliberately distorting hard macro- and micro-economic indicators, these actors portray China as detrimental to Pakistan’s economy, industry, agriculture, services, energy security and regional connectivity, fuelling a negativity seemingly aimed at dismantling a strategic axis that anchors regional stability.

The empirical counter-narrative, however, is overwhelming. CPEC is not merely an infrastructure programme; it is a catalyst for structural transformation. It has injected over $28 billion in direct foreign investment, generating a significant multiplier effect across Pakistan’s real economy. The corridor has addressed the binding constraint of energy deficiency by doubling national........

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