ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Foreign Office on Sunday refuted reports about the deployment of Chinese security forces in Pakistan to ensure security of Chinese nationals working in the country, describing them as “totally false.”
Media reports, following talks between Pakistan and China on the security of Chinese nationals this week, suggested that China has for the first time deployed its own security personnel in Pakistan to protect its projects and citizens amid rising terror attacks.
Chinese nationals have been in the crosshairs of separatist militants who believe Beijing is helping Pakistan exploit minerals in the underdeveloped southwestern province of Balochistan, where China has a strategic port and mining interests.
“I completely deny this. No Chinese forces are being deployed in Pakistan,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told Arab News. “This is totally false and there is no credibility to these reports.”
Thousands of Chinese nationals are working in Pakistan, primarily on roads, infrastructure and development projects associated with the $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
“Discussions on the security of Chinese nationals are an ongoing process,” Khan said. “This is our commitment to ensure the security of Chinese personnel in Pakistan and these dialogues between the two countries are part of that arrangement.”
Beijing has been pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working there, frustrated by a string of attacks on its citizens.
The push came after a bombing at the Karachi airport last October killed two Chinese engineers who were returning there to work at a power plant. In March 2024, five Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan.
In October, the Pakistani government approved an additional Rs45 billion ($160 million) budget for the armed forces, primarily to enhance their capacity to protect Chinese commercial interests in Pakistan.
This week, Pakistan’s envoy to Beijing, Ambassador Khalil Hashmi, told reporters that discussions between the two countries on security measures to protect Chinese nationals working in Pakistan are still a “work in progress.”
“It’s a complex security environment,” he said. “We have the capability to resolve, to counter and combat and defeat these terrorist forces.”
Islamabad denies reports of China deploying its forces in Pakistan to protect its nationals
https://arab.news/vzn3s
Islamabad denies reports of China deploying its forces in Pakistan to protect its nationals
- Chinese nationals have been in the crosshairs of separatist militants who believe Beijing is helping Pakistan exploit minerals in Balochistan
- Pakistani officials say there is no credibility to these reports and the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan is still a ‘work in progress’
Pakistan police say two militants killed during gunbattle in northwest
- Police say Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants ambushed police vehicle on patrol in northwestern Bannu district
- Pakistan has frequently blamed neighboring Afghanistan for facilitating what it calls “cross-border attacks” against it
ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s Bannu district said on Monday it thwarted an ambush and killed two militants during a fierce gunbattle, as Islamabad grapples with a surge in militant attacks in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
A police vehicle came under attack from militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistani Taliban group within the jurisdiction of the Domel Police Station in Bannu, a statement from police said.
The police van was on patrol when TTP militants, who were lying in wait near the district’s Company Road, suddenly opened indiscriminate firing on the police party. Following the attack, both sides traded fire for approximately 20 minutes.
“During the exchange of fire, two militants were killed and weapons were recovered from their possession,” the statement said.
Police launched a search operation in the area after the gunfire ended, during which the bodies of the two militants were recovered. The bodies were shifted to the Khaleefa Gul Nawaz (KGN) Hospital in the area for legal formalities.
Bannu Deputy Inspector General Sajjad Khan praised police for its unwavering commitment in saving people’s lives and for “standing firm against terrorism at all costs.”
“He said operations against elements of Fitna Al-Khawarij will continue under a zero-tolerance policy and those attempting to disrupt peace and order will not be spared under any circumstances,” the police statement said.
Pakistan’s government and army frequently use the term “Fitna Al-Khawarij” to describe TTP militants. The term is drawn from Islamic history for an extremist sect that rebelled against authority and declared other Muslims apostates.
The TTP has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against law enforcement agencies since 2008 in a bid to impose its strict version of Islamic law across Pakistan.
Bannu has also seen several militant attacks in the recent past, with four members of a pro-government peace committee killed by militants in the district earlier this month. In 2025, Bannu police said it recorded 134 attacks on police stations, checkpoints and those targeting its personnel. At least 27 police officers were killed, while authorities say 53 militants died in the clashes.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused neighboring Afghanistan of allowing its soil to be used by armed groups such as the TTP for “cross-border attacks.” It has also alleged that India supports militant groups carrying out attacks against Pakistan. Both Kabul and New Delhi have denied these claims.
