PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday took steps to ensure foolproof security for the Chinese nationals working on various development projects in the province.
The decisions were made at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, said a handout.
Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, Additional Chief Secretary Home, Muhammad Abid Majeed, and other officials attended the meeting. Divisional commissioners and regional police officers participated in the meeting via video link.
The meeting took stock of the security arrangements for Chinese nationals and other foreigners working in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after the recent terrorist attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in Karachi.
The chief minister said the provincial government highly valued China’s cooperation in the development of the province.
He said the Chinese engineers played a crucial role in implementing key development projects in both the country and the province. “There will be no compromise on the security of the Chinese engineers working on development projects in the province,” he reiterated.
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister stated that the security of Chinese nationals working in the province was of utmost importance to the provincial government, and there would 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 officials to diligently perform duties in this regard.
The chief minister called for coordination among the relevant institutions to improve the security for the Chinese nationals.
He said commissioners, regional police officers, and the special security unit should hold at least two meetings every week on the security arrangements for Chinese nationals, conduct a weekly security audit, and take necessary measures to improve security in the light of the audit. Gandapur said reports of these meetings be sent to the IGP, chief secretary, and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. He instructed that road clearance and other security measures for the movement of Chinese nationals should be ensured in all respects.
Gandapur said district police officers and officials from the Special Branch must ensure visibility of all foreign nationals present in the province.
He maintained that he would personally hold meetings to review the security arrangements for Chinese nationals and other foreigners in the province.
The chief minister 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. The chief minister instructed the relevant officials to formally send a letter to the federal government’s concerned authorities in this regard.
Earlier, the chief minister was given a detailed briefing by the officials on the security arrangements for the Chinese nationals working in the province, issues, and challenges. It was informed that there were a total of 24 development projects in KP where Chinese nationals were 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.
It was explained that these personnel were responsible for guarding the workplaces, residences, and movement of Chinese nationals as well.
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