New security force in Sindh, KP to protect Chinese nationals

islamabad/peshawar — Chastened by the Daesh’s claim to have killed two kidnapped Chinese teachers, Pakistan is beefing up security around Chinese citizens streaming into the country on the back of Beijing’s “Belt and Road” infrastructure splurge.

Pakistani officials have outlined extensive security plans that include thousands-strong police protection forces, tighter monitoring of Chinese nationals, and in the province of Balochistan — where the two teachers were kidnapped on May 24 — a review of security arrangements.

The protection forces will buttress a 15,000-strong army division set up specifically to safeguard projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.

“We are already alert, but this incident has made us extra vigilant over Chinese security,” said Amin Yousafzai, deputy inspector-general of police for Sindh. Sindh is raising a protection unit of about 2,600 police officers to help safeguard 4,000 Chinese working on CPEC projects, and another 1,000 working in other businesses.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is also conducting a census of Chinese nationals and raising a force of about 4,200 officers to protect foreigners.

Balochistan would “review the whole security arrangement” and Chinese nationals who come in a private capacity should inform the authorities about their activities, said Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, spokesman for the provincial government.

The Daesh killings were a rare attack on Chinese nationals in Pakistan, but the incident has unnerved Islamabad and the growing Chinese community.

Miftah Ismail, a state minister involved in CPEC planning, said Pakistan had devoted huge resources to improving security and Chinese investors should not be put off by a one-off attack.

“The country’s security situation has improved,” Ismail said.

The scale of the task facing security agencies is increasing by the day as more Chinese entrepreneurs arrive to set up businesses. Most stay in big cities, but some venture into riskier areas.

The challenge for authorities will increase in 2018, when the corridor is due to become operational and trucks ferrying goods to and from China cross more than 1,000km of road in remote Balochistan areas currently off-limits to foreigners.