China praises Pakistan’s move to set up foreigners protection unit – Interior Ministry
ISLAMABAD: Chinese Interior Minister Qi Yanjun on Thursday appreciated Pakistan’s move to set up a Special Protection Unit (SPU) in Islamabad for foreigners, mainly Chinese nationals, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The interior ministry statement came after Yang Jun met his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi, who arrived in New York to attend the fourth UNCOP conference. Naqvi asked his Chinese counterpart at the Chinese Mission in New York to discuss bilateral and security issues between the two countries.
Naqvi announced earlier this month that Pakistan would set up a Special Protection Unit (SPU) for foreigners in Islamabad amid a surge in attacks against Chinese nationals in Pakistan. China is Pakistan’s main ally and investor, but separatist and religiously motivated militants have attacked Chinese projects and killed Chinese personnel in recent years.
“Qi Yanjin of the People’s Republic of China appreciated the initiative in establishing SPU in Islamabad for the protection of foreign nationals, especially Chinese nationals,” Pakistan’s interior ministry said.
China’s interior minister reportedly offered Beijing’s full cooperation in training People’s Liberation Army units and related matters.
The most recent attack targeting Chinese nationals occurred in March when a suicide bomber killed five Chinese workers as their vehicle was targeted while they were on their way to a Beijing-funded hydroelectric project under construction in Dasu, northwest China.
During the meeting, Naqvi briefed Yanjun on the progress in the Das attack case and the ministry said the minister expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the case.
“Pakistani agencies pursued the case with hard work and professionalism,” Yangjun was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Interior Ministry.
According to the interior ministry, the Chinese minister had invited Naqvi to participate in the World Security Forum to be held in China in September and Naqvi had accepted the invitation.
Attacks on Chinese interests
The March blast was the third major attack in just over a week on Chinese interests in the South Asian country, where China has invested more than $65 billion in infrastructure, energy and other projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
China has repeatedly urged Pakistan to protect its citizens in the country from militant attacks, and Islamabad has since taken steps to strengthen the security of Chinese nationals in the country.
Pakistan maintains that its ongoing investigations and evidence into the Das attack show that the militants involved in the attack received instructions from Pakistani Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.
Kabul denies the allegations and has repeatedly assured Pakistan and other countries that its territory will not be used by militants to launch attacks in other countries.
