KARACHI: A Pakistani high court on Friday sought a response from Pakistani authorities over alleged harassment, extortion and unlawful restrictions on Chinese nationals imposed by police in the southern Sindh province, after a group of six Chinese nationals filed a petition against their alleged mistreatment.
China has become a crucial trade and investment partner for Pakistan since the initiation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2013, under which Beijing has pledged over $60 billion in investment projects in Pakistan. A significant number of private Chinese investors have since arrived and established businesses with local partners in Pakistan.
In Sindh, the provincial government has established a Special Protection Unit (SPU) within the provincial police force to ensure security of Chinese nationals, under threat from separatist groups operating in neighboring Balochistan province which have also carried out attacks on Chinese interests and citizens in Karachi, the commercial hub of the country.
On Friday, a Sindh High Court (SHC) bench, led by Justice KK Aga and Justice Adnan Karim, issued notices to the Sindh government, Pakistani foreign ministry and China’s missions in Pakistan seeking their response within four weeks over alleged police harassment of Chinese nationals, days after the Sindh police suspended an SPU officer after a video of him manhandling a Chinese national went viral online.
“The core of the petition is that despite high-level requests for Chinese investment under CPEC and private initiatives, Chinese nationals involved have been subjected to harassment and corruption upon arrival,” Peer Rehman Mehsud, the petitioners’ lawyer, told Arab News.
“In some cases, families were reportedly confined to their residences for nearly a week, infringing on their right to freedom of movement, as protected under both international and Pakistani law.”
While the Chinese consulate in Karachi and a spokesperson for the Sindh police did not respond to Arab News’ request for comment, the provincial government said it would conduct an inquiry into the allegations.
“The Sindh government is committed to protecting the Chinese nationals and providing them with a safe environment,” Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar told Arab News. “We have taken note of the allegations and will conduct a thorough inquiry.”
Mehsud said the petition, which was initially filed in December by 12 nationals, was accepted on Friday after only six complainants were able to fulfill legal formalities required to appear in court due to restrictions on their movement.
Chinese nationals are forced to pay bribes to police officers ranging from Rs20,000 ($71) to Rs50,000 ($179) for permission to leave their homes, according to the petition. It demanded a high-level inquiry into the involvement of police officers in their mistreatment.
“Recently, officials of Police Station Sukhan [in Karachi] sealed seven industrial units of Chinese nationals without any prior notice,” the petition read.
The complainants stated in the petition that they arrived in Pakistan on invitations from top Pakistani officials, including the prime minister and the army chief, who encouraged them to invest in the South Asian country, assuring their safety and a supportive environment for foreign investors, particularly from China.
They said they relied on these assurances and made significant investments in various sectors, but in the months following their arrival, they and other Chinese nationals had been subjected to harassment by Sindh police. The complainants said their movements were “unjustifiably restricted” and they were often detained at their residences on the pretext of “security reasons.”
The petitioners urged the court to order the respondents to help cease their harassment and restrictions on their movement, seeking compensation for the financial losses incurred by them.
Pakistan court seeks response from authorities over alleged police harassment of Chinese nationals
https://arab.news/9rk5f
Pakistan court seeks response from authorities over alleged police harassment of Chinese nationals
- Development comes days after the Sindh police suspended a police officer after a video of him manhandling a Chinese citizen went viral online
- Home minister in Pakistan’s Sindh promises inquiry, says they are committed to protecting Chinese nationals and providing them safe environment
Death toll in Karachi mall fire rises to 73 after two more bodies recovered — rescue service
- Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the fire at Gul Plaza which housed around 1,200 shops
- The identification process has been slowed by the condition of the remains recovered from the site
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping mall in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi climbed to 73 on Sunday, the Edhi rescue service said, following the recovery of the remains of two more persons.
The development came as rescuers and volunteers continued to comb through the debris at Gul Plaza, a densely packed commercial complex in the heart of Karachi where a deadly fire erupted on Jan. 17, for remains of the victims.
Over the past week, family members of more than a dozen missing persons have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital even after providing their DNA samples for testing, with some relatives also criticizing authorities for the slow pace of rescue efforts.
“The death toll in the Gul Plaza tragedy has reached 73,” the Edhi rescue service said in a statement on Sunday night. “The remains of two more bodies were shifted to the Edhi morgue today.”
There was no official comment on the increase in death toll.
“We have processed 71 sets of remains, of which 20 have been identified,” Chief Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said on Friday.
The identification process has been significantly slowed by the condition of the remains recovered from the site, according to Syed. Many bodies were found in fragments, complicating DNA analysis and prolonging the process for families waiting for confirmation.
Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the fire at the building, which housed around 1,200 shops. Traders say the blaze caused more than $53 million losses.
Fires are common in Karachi’s markets and factories, which are known for their poor infrastructure, but a blaze on such a scale is rare.
The provincial government has announced that it will give Rs10 million ($35,720) to each family of the deceased. All 1,200 shopkeepers will also be compensated.
