ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said Islamabad was utilizing “full resources” to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals working in the South Asian nation, weeks after a deadly attack on Chinese nationals in southern Pakistan.
The statement by the Pakistani interior minister came after his meeting with the Chinese charge d'affaires Pang Chunxue in Islamabad on Tuesday.
It followed the killing of three Chinese nationals among four people in a deadly suicide bombing at a university in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on April 26.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), an outlawed group that frequently conducts attacks on Pakistani security forces, claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The [Pakistani] state is using its full resources to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan,” the Pakistani interior ministry quoted Sanaullah as telling the Chinese diplomat.
Both the figures agreed to further improve cooperation between the Pakistani ministry and the Chinese embassy to ensure foolproof security of Chinese citizens, according to the statement.
“Pakistan and China will not allow any internal or external conspiracy to succeed in spoiling their friendship,” Sanaullah said.
He informed the Chinese charge d'affaires that a special desk had been set up at the interior ministry for effective liaison to ensure the security of foreigners, especially Chinese citizens, in Pakistan.
The interior minister vowed to bring the ones involved in the Karachi incident to justice.
In response, the Chinese charge d'affaires said her country wanted a complete investigation into the Karachi attack and to reach the real culprits as soon as possible.
Apart from Pakistani security forces, Baloch separatists have also frequently targeted Chinese interests in Balochistan, where Beijing is involved in huge infrastructure projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China has pledged over $60 billion for infrastructure projects in Pakistan under the CPEC framework that is a central part of China’s initiative to forge new “Silk Road” land and sea ties to markets in the Middle East and Europe.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to further strengthen its all-weather partnership with China, through rapid implementation of the CPEC. He was virtually addressing a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Development Initiative (GDI).
“Pakistan has joined China’s GDI initiative. We believe it can make a significant contribution to accelerate the implementation of globally agreed sustainable goals,” the foreign minister said.
