ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has ruled out the possibility of forming a joint security force with China to protect thousands of Chinese workers in Pakistan, the information minister said on Monday, despite concerns raised by Beijing during recent high-level talks between the two countries.
Last week, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited China for the SCO heads of state summit, President Xi Jinping pressed him to improve security for Chinese nationals who have been repeatedly attacked by militants while working on Beijing-funded multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in the South Asian country. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a showcase for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s global Belt and Road Initiative projects but security threats to Chinese workers in the country have become a source of tension between the close allies.
Media have also widely reported that recent attacks — particularly a bombing in the southern port city of Karachi that killed two Chinese engineers last year — have angered Beijing and pushed it to seek a joint security management system with Islamabad.
In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar ruled out the possibility of a joint security force or Islamabad allowing Beijing to bring in its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working in Pakistan.
