ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided a high-level security meeting on Friday, asking the interior ministry to coordinate with provinces to eliminate militant violence and ensure the safety of Chinese nationals working on various projects in the country.
There has been a surge in militant violence in Pakistan for well over a year, with a recent suicide attack targeting five Chinese nationals in the northwest, underscoring the growing threat to foreign workers and investments in the region.
The incident spotlighted the urgent need to strengthen security measures, with the government promising to make every effort to prevent the recurrence of such violent acts and ensure the safety of Chinese workers within its borders.
“We will continue to fight the specter of terrorism until it is eradicated from the country,” the prime minister was quoted in a statement released by his office.
It added that he “directed the interior ministry to enhance cooperation with provinces for the eradication of terrorism and further improvement of provincial counter-terrorism departments.”
The prime minister said he would personally review the security of Chinese nationals in his monthly meetings.
He instructed the ministry to develop a comprehensive plan for the regular audit of security procedures for foreign workers in Pakistan.
The ministry officials briefed the prime minister on the overall peace and security situation of the country and their own performance during the meeting.
The country’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, heads of security agencies and other relevant senior officials were also present on the occasion.
Pakistan PM calls for enhanced security measures to protect Chinese nationals amid militant violence
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Pakistan PM calls for enhanced security measures to protect Chinese nationals amid militant violence
- PM instructs the interior ministry to improve coordination with provinces, strengthen counterterrorism units
- He seeks a comprehensive plan for the regular audit of security procedures for Chinese nationals in Pakistan
Pakistan’s deputy PM says country will not send forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas
- Ishaq Dar says Pakistan open to peacekeeping but Gaza’s internal security is Palestinian responsibility
- Pakistan’s top religious clerics from different schools have warned against sending forces to Palestine
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday Pakistan was willing to contribute to an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, though it would not deploy troops to disarm or de-weaponize Hamas.
The statement follows media reports saying Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military and wants it to be part of International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework for a Gaza peace plan.
The plan announced by Trump at the White House on September 29 was formally adopted at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in October. Co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the summit brought together leaders from 27 countries to sign the “Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity.”
Deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase is a key part of the plan before the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.
“If they say that we should go and start fighting, disarm Hamas, de-weaponize them, and go and destroy the tunnels that Hamas has built until now, that is not our job,” Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, told reporters during a year-end briefing in Islamabad.
He emphasized there was clarity between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership over the matter.
“We have a very complete understanding on this matter that we cannot do that kind of work,” he added.
The deputy prime minister said Pakistan had been using the term “peacekeeping” and had never used the phrase “peace enforcement” while discussing the force.
“I have been very clear: Pakistan will be happy to join if the mandate is not peace enforcement and disarming and de-weaponizing Hamas.”
The government’s stance comes amid growing domestic pressure over the issue.
On Monday, a group of Pakistan’s top religious leaders, chaired by prominent scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, warned the government against yielding to what they described as international pressure to send forces to Gaza.
In a joint statement from Karachi, the clerics — representing Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahl-e-Hadees and Shia schools of thought — said that Washington wanted Muslim countries to send their forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas.
“Several Muslim governments have already refused this, and pressure is being increased on Pakistan,” it added.
Addressing such concerns, Dar said Pakistan would not land its forces in Palestine to “fight Muslims.”
Israel has repeatedly called for the disarmament of Hamas as a precondition for any long-term settlement, and the United Nations Security Council has also endorsed the ISF framework in November.
However, Dar maintained during the media briefing the internal security of Gaza was the Palestinian responsibility.
“The Palestinian Authority, their government, it is their job, it is the job of their law enforcement agency,” he said
The deputy prime minister also highlighted Pakistan’s involvement in the “Arab Islamic Group of Eight,” including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia, which has been coordinating on the crisis.
He said the efforts of these countries had brought some peace to Palestine and reduced bloodshed.
“Our declared policy is that there should be an independent two-state solution,” he continued while calling for pre-1967 borders.
