Islamabad, Beijing pledge counterterrorism cooperation for security of Chinese workers in Pakistan

Islamabad — 

Pakistan has assured China it volition guarantee the information of Chinese unit moving connected infrastructure and improvement projects successful the South Asian state portion seeking greater information and economical practice during President Asif Ali Zardari’s sojourn to Beijing.

Zardari is successful China connected a five-day sojourn from February 4 to 8 on with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and different elder officials.

Pakistani leaders met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Zardari besides held delegation level talks with the president of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, Zhao Leji.

The Pakistani enactment “reaffirmed that ensuring the information and information of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions successful Pakistan is the foremost work of Pakistani authorities arsenic China’s All-weather Strategic Cooperative spouse and the big country,” according to a associated communique issued Thursday.

Thousands of Chinese nationals are successful Pakistan, moving chiefly connected projects nether the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. At slightest 21 Chinese citizens, however, person been killed successful targeted attacks since 2017. This has enactment unit connected bilateral ties and wounded the advancement of the monolithic infrastructure and improvement task that has seen much than $25 cardinal successful Chinese concern travel to Pakistan.

An October 2024 attack successful Pakistan’s confederate larboard metropolis of Karachi killed 2 Chinese citizens. The incidental came a fewer months aft a March attack connected a convoy killed 5 Chinese nationals successful the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

While calling for accrued practice connected counterterrorism, the connection said Pakistan volition bring to justness those liable for attacking Chinese personnel.

Pakistan besides committed to "further summation input into security, and instrumentality targeted and enhanced measures to efficaciously guarantee the information and information of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions successful Pakistan, and make a harmless situation for practice betwixt the 2 countries," according to the communique.

In the latest high-level meetings, Chinese officials offered counterterrorism practice to Pakistan.

“The Chinese side…expressed its willingness to supply indispensable enactment for Pakistan’s antagonistic coercion capableness building,” the lengthy 24-point communique read.

Official statements issued by the Pakistani broadside earlier amusement information remained a cardinal portion of discussions.

In his opening connection Wednesday astatine the commencement of talks with Xi, Zardari said the relationship betwixt the 2 countries had “gone done ups and downs” but would not beryllium breached down by militant attacks that person killed Chinese citizens.

“No substance however galore terrors, however galore issues harvest up successful the world, I volition stand, Pakistani radical volition stand, with the radical of China,” the Pakistan caput of authorities said.

Both sides discussed enhancing quality sharing, borderline security, and the transportation of exertion to fortify the Pakistani police’s capableness to unafraid Chinese interests.

“Mohsin Naqvi said that Pakistan volition acquisition modern exertion and instrumentality for the constabulary from China,” a connection from the Pakistani interior minister’s bureau said aft a gathering with Qi Yanjun, 1 of China’s apical information officials.

Naqvi besides informed Xi astir efforts to beef up information of the Chinese and boost antagonistic coercion operations successful Pakistan.

Pakistan is grappling with a deadly question of militant attacks chiefly targeting Pakistani information unit since precocious 2021.

On Saturday, militants allegedly affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Army killed 18 soldiers successful the southwestern Balochistan province, location to the China-funded Gwadar heavy oversea larboard and the country’s largest airport.

In January, the state saw 74 militant attacks resulting successful 91 deaths, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. Thirty-five of those killed were information unit portion 36 militants died successful the incidents.

In 2024, adjacent to 1,200 radical including astir 1000 civilians and information unit were killed successful militant attacks – a 40% summation successful militant attacks compared to 2023.

Much of the unit is concentrated successful the 2 provinces bordering Afghanistan. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has a beardown foothold portion the banned Baloch Liberation Army is down overmuch of the unit successful Balochistan.

Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of taking insufficient measures to reign successful anti-Pakistan militants contiguous connected Afghan soil, a complaint the de facto rulers successful Kabul reject.

In Thursday’s associated communique, Pakistan and China again pressed Afghan authorities to instrumentality stronger counter-terrorism action.

“They called connected the Interim Afghan Government to instrumentality disposable and verifiable actions to dismantle and destruct each violent groups based successful Afghanistan which proceed to airs a superior menace to determination and planetary security, and to forestall the usage of Afghan territory against different countries,” the connection said.

Despite Pakistan’s mediocre information concern that Beijing has publically complained about, the associated connection said China would promote its businesses to put successful Pakistan. Both sides signed much than a twelve Memoranda of Understanding to heighten practice successful agriculture, technology, and trade, etc.

After his archetypal halt successful Beijing, Zardari heads to the northeastern metropolis of Harbin to be the opening ceremonial of the 9th Asian Winter Games, taking spot from Feb. 7-14.

Some accusation for this study came from The Associated Press.