ISLAMABAD: More than a hundred Chinese engineers and support staff arrived in Islamabad from Urumqi on Friday morning in a special flight after being kept in isolation for 58 days to avoid contracting the dreaded coronavirus which China has largely managed to contain in the last couple of days.
Despite the disease’s outbreak in Pakistan, China’s Gezhouba Group sent 131 professionals to continue working on infrastructure and energy projects under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the company’s public relation’s officer in Islamabad confirmed to Arab News.
He added that 28 more Chinese workers were expected to arrive in Islamabad Friday evening.
“The CPEC staff arrived at 9 a.m. today carrying the Pakistani and Chinese flags and raising slogans to display their commitment to the project despite the situation they faced back home or the unfolding situation in Pakistan,” Gezhouba’s Mustafa Kamal told Arab News.
“They were thoroughly examined before travel. They were also screened upon arrival by National Institute of Health officials and will be kept at an isolation facility in sector F-6/1 (of Islamabad) between 14 and 20 days. We have medical staff there and best available equipment from China, and the workers will undergo virus tests again before resuming their duties at project sites,” he added.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office and Ministry of Planning offered no comment when reached by Arab News.
According to Kamal, however, his company had apprised the Foreign Office and other relevant government departments of the workers’ arrival.
“The number of Chinese nationals was also reported to the Foreign Office,” he said, adding that all health and safety measures would be applied as the workers perform their duties, and a person with any disease symptoms would be immediately shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
Chinese CPEC workers arrive in Pakistan despite virus threat
https://arab.news/8r2rn
Chinese CPEC workers arrive in Pakistan despite virus threat
- 131 Chinese reached Islamabad Friday morning to work on the corridor projects, 28 more to join
- Will be kept at an isolation facility in Islamabad for 2-3 weeks, China’s Gezhouba Group official says
Pakistan Air Force conducts ‘Exercise Golden Eagle’ to test combat readiness, agility
- The exercise follows an intense, four-day Pakistan-India military conflict in May 2025
- It focused on AI-enabled operations integrating disruptive technologies, military says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has conducted “Exercise Golden Eagle” that successfully validated its combat readiness and operational agility through synchronized employment of the PAF’s complete combat potential, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.
It comes months after Pakistan’s four-day military conflict with India in May, with Islamabad claiming victory in the standoff after the PAF claimed to have shot down at least six Indian fighter aircraft, including the French-made Rafale. New Delhi acknowledged some losses but did not specify a number.
The exercise was conducted on a Two-Force construct, focusing on AI-enabled, net-centric operations while integrating indigenous niche, disruptive and smart technologies in line with evolving regional security dynamics, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
Operating within a robust Integrated Air Defense System, friendly forces shaped the battlespace through seamless fusion of kinetic operations with cyber, space and electro-magnetic spectrum operations.
“The kinetic phase featured First-Shoot, First-Kill swing-role combat aircraft equipped with long-range BVR air-to-air missiles, extended-range stand-off weapons and precision strike capabilities, supported by Airborne Early Warning & Control platforms and Air-to-Air Refuelers,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“A key highlight of the exercise was Manned–Unmanned Teaming, with deep-reach killer drones and loitering munitions operating in a highly contested, congested and degraded environment, validating PAF’s capability to conduct high-tempo operations in modern warfare.”
In recent months, many countries have stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple nations have proposed learning from the PAF’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that officials say were successfully employed during the May conflict.
“The successful conduct of Exercise Golden Eagle reaffirms Pakistan Air Force’s unwavering commitment to maintaining a high state of operational preparedness, leveraging indigenous innovation and effectively countering emerging and future security challenges,” the ISPR added.
