A high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, on Tuesday at the Chief Minister’s House and took stock of the security arrangements for Chinese nationals and other foreigners working in the province, in the context of the recent terrorist attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in Karachi.
Important decisions were made after detailed deliberations on the future course of action to ensure foolproof security for Chinese nationals working on various development projects in the province. The Chief Secretary, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General of Police, Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, Additional Chief Secretary Home, Muhammad Abid Majeed, and other senior officials’ institutions attended the meeting. Divisional commissioners and regional police officers also attended the meeting via video link.
In the meeting, it was decided to immediately purchase additional vehicles required for the security of Chinese nationals. If necessary, helicopters, including those of the provincial government, and hired helicopters, would be utilized for their movement, the meeting decided.
The Chief Minister said that the provincial government highly values China’s cooperation in the development of the province. He emphasized that Chinese engineers play a crucial role in implementing key development projects in both the country and the province.
He reiterated that there would be no compromise on the security of Chinese engineers working on development projects in the province. The Chief Minister was given a detailed briefing by the concerned authorities regarding the security arrangements for Chinese nationals working in the province, issues, and challenges.
It was informed that there are a total of 24 development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where Chinese nationals are working. A special security unit has been established to ensure the security of these Chinese nationals, and a total of 8,578 personnel have been deployed for their security.
These personnel are responsible for guarding the workplaces, residences, and movement of Chinese nationals as well. Additionally, a Foreign Security Dashboard is fully operational to oversee the security of Chinese nationals and other foreigners.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister stated that the security of Chinese nationals working in the province is of utmost importance to the provincial government, and there will be no compromise on it. He made it clear that negligence or laxity in ensuring the security of foreign nationals would not be tolerated.
He urged all relevant authorities to diligently perform their duties in this regard. The Chief Minister directed that coordination between the relevant institutions regarding the security of Chinese nationals should be further improved.
He further directed that relevant commissioners, regional police officers, and the special security unit should hold at least two meetings every week regarding the security arrangements for Chinese nationals, conduct a weekly security audit, and take necessary measures to improve security in light of the audit. He also directed that reports of these meetings be sent to the Inspector General of Police, the Chief Secretary, and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister instructed that road clearance and other security measures for the movement of Chinese nationals should be ensured in all respects. District police officers and officials from the Special Branch must ensure the visibility of all foreign nationals present in the province.
Any foreign national found without an NOC or necessary documents should be sent back. Coordination with landing points should be maintained to obtain information about the visit plans of foreign nationals, while checkpoints should be established on motorways to check the NOCs of foreign nationals. The Chief Minister maintained that he would personally hold meetings to review the security arrangements for Chinese nationals and other foreigners in the province.
He added that the Federal government should also provide resources for bulletproof vehicles to ensure the security of Chinese engineers working on development projects in the province.