The development comes after October’s car bombing outside the Karachi airport that targeted Chinese investors…writes Hamza Ameer
China continues to vigorously push the proposal of deploying its own security staff for thousands of its citizens working in Pakistan following several deadly attacks carried against Chinese workers in the country which have severely jolted Islamabad’s relationship with Beijing in recent times.
The development comes after October’s car bombing outside the Karachi airport that targeted Chinese investors and engineers associated with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure projects. The targeted attack resulted in the death of two Chinese workers.
A furious Beijing saw it as a major security failure on part of Pakistani agencies and pitched for a joint security management system in future that allows it to deploy its own personnel to safeguard the Chinese citizens.
As per sources, Beijing’s proposal was put forward during Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang’s visit to Pakistan last month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting.
Li Qiang was the first Chinese premier to visit Pakistan in more than a decade and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had personally received him at the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi.
It is believed that after several closed-door meetings, China’s proposal to have its own security personnel on Pakistani soil could eventually get approval from the local government.
“A written proposal was sent to Islamabad by Beijing. It was forwarded to the security agencies for review. The proposal allows the dispatching of security agencies and military forces into each other’s territory to assist in counter-terrorism missions and conduct joint strikes,” a source mentioned.
However, several high-ranking officials have also cast a serious doubt over the entire proposal, asserting that the move could have serious consequences for the country in future.
“Pakistan would prefer getting Chinese help in improving its intelligence and surveillance capabilities instead of direct involvement,” said a top government official.
China too is currently maintaining secrecy on the ongoing security cooperation talks with Pakistan.
“China will continue to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan and make joint efforts to do its utmost to maintain the security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson remarked while emphasising that he had no details on the joint security plan.
The intensity of the Karachi bombing and the investigation into the incident has angered Beijing as it has revealed the role played by an insider in securing details of the itinerary and route of the engineers, who were returning to Pakistan from Thailand.
Several countries, including the United States, could raise their strong objection to the move as they have already raised serious concerns in the past over the expanding Chinese footprint in Pakistan.
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