Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that Pakistan was “proud” of its friendly ties with ally China under all circumstances, and asserted that “all arrangements” were in place for the safety of Chinese nationals working on major infrastructure projects in some restive provinces.
Naqvi made the remarks during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qi Yanjun at the Chinese Mission to the United Nations office in New York, according to Geo News. Both ministers are currently in New York to attend a UN conference.
“All measures are being taken for the safety of Chinese nationals,” Naqvi said while updating Qi on the progress of the investigation. Chinese-involved Dasu terror attack in Pakistan.
On March 26, a suicide bomber in a vehicle targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers in the remote Besham area of Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on their way to the Das hydroelectric plant construction site in the province’s Kohistan district.
Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack. “We are all proud of our friendly relations with China,” Naqvi said in a statement.
After the briefing, the Chinese minister reportedly expressed satisfaction that the investigation into the incident was continuing and said Pakistani agencies had handled it in a “diligent and professional manner.”
“Pakistan and China will remain friendly in all circumstances. The friendship between Pakistan and China is stronger than iron,” he said. The two ministers also discussed bilateral ties and regional security issues.
During the meeting, the two ministers discussed cooperation in training and capacity building of Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies using modern equipment and technology.
Qi specifically praised the establishment of a Special Security Unit (SPU) in Islamabad to protect Chinese nationals in the country, and reportedly promised “full cooperation” in training the SPU and other matters.
This comes after the Pakistani government launched a new counter-terrorism operation, Operation Azmi Istekam, last week, which was launched after a senior Chinese official cited security as the biggest challenge threatening the future of the multi-billion nation. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Thousands of Chinese personnel are working on several projects in Pakistan under the aegis of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
