Islamabad, Oct 30: The Pakistan government will leave no stone unturned to protect the lives and properties of Chinese nationals living in the country, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has said, as he highlighted how authorities arrested most of the attackers involved in recent attacks on workers from China.
Dar’s remarks came on Tuesday at a conference by the Pakistan-China Institute, titled “China at 75: A Journey of Progress, Transformation and Global Leadership”.
Without disclosing specifics, Dar, who is also the Foreign Minister, confirmed that authorities had apprehended multiple suspects believed to be involved in recent incidents, the Dawn newspaper said.
“Most of the attackers have been hauled up,” he disclosed. “We will leave no stone unturned to protect the lives and properties of Chinese in Pakistan. These suspects will face justice after due process, and further details will be shared directly with President Xi Jinping during President Zardari’s visit to China next month,” Dar said.
Earlier this month, a suicide attack near Karachi’s airport, claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), left two Chinese citizens dead and 10 others injured.
Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, speaking on this occasion, expressed Beijing’s concerns over these threats and urged further action to safeguard Chinese citizens and investments.
“Security of Chinese citizens is paramount for President Xi,” Jiang said, adding that President Xi has emphasised this in his meetings with Pakistani leaders on multiple occasions.
Thousands of Chinese personnel are working in Pakistan on several projects under the aegis of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The BLA accuses China and Islamabad of exploitation of the resource-rich province, a charge rejected by the authorities. It has fought a long-running insurgency for a separate homeland.
The group in the last two years carried out similar suicide bomb attacks in Karachi targeting foreign nationals.
The BLA in March this year claimed responsibility for an attack on a Pakistani naval air base near China-run Gwadar port.
In April 2022, the group killed three Chinese tutors and a Pakistani driver in a suicide bombing near Karachi University’s Confucius Institute.
In November 2018, gunmen killed at least four people in an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi.
Emphasising Pakistan’s determination to combat terrorism, Dar highlighted the government’s recent counterterrorism operation, Azm-i-Istehkam as a step toward restoring stability. He noted that while Pakistan faces minimal external military threats, “inimical forces” are aiming to weaken it economically.
China and Pakistan’s strategic alliance, anchored by the CPEC, remains strong, Dar stressed, adding that Pakistani security forces are fully committed to safeguarding this partnership as it continues its expansion into critical economic sectors. (PTI)
