ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Chinese counterpart Qi Yanjun on Thursday to discuss a Special Protection Unit (SPU) force in Islamabad formed to protect foreigners, mainly Chinese nationals, the interior ministry said.
Naqvi met Yanjun in New York, where both officials will attend the fourth UN COP conference. Naqvi called on the Chinese minister at the office of China’s mission in New York to discuss bilateral and security matters between the two countries.
Naqvi announced earlier this month that Pakistan was setting up a police SPU for foreigners in Islamabad amid a surge in attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan. China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan but both separatist and religiously motivated militants have attacked Chinese projects in recent years, killing Chinese personnel.
“Peoples Republic of China’s QI Yanjin appreciated the initiative of establishing the SPU in Islamabad for the protection of foreigners, especially Chinese citizens,” Pakistan’s interior ministry said in a statement.
It said the Chinese interior minister offered Beijing’s full cooperation in training and related matters for the SPU force.
The most recent attack targeting Chinese nationals took place in March when five Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing. The Chinese citizens were on their way to a hydropower project funded by Beijing being built in Dasu in the country’s northwest when their vehicle was targeted.
Naqvi briefed Yanjun about the progress in the Dasu attack during their meeting. The Chinese minister expressed satisfaction over the progress in the case, the ministry said.
“Pakistani institutions traced this case through hard work and professionalism,” Yanjun was quoted as saying by the Pakistani interior ministry.
The Chinese minister invited Naqvi to participate in the Global Security Forum scheduled to be held in China in September, the interior ministry said, adding that the minister accepted his invitation.
ATTACKS ON CHINESE INTERESTS
The March blast was the third major attack in a little over a week on China’s interests in the South Asian nation, where Beijing has invested more than $65 billion in infrastructure, energy and other projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
China has repeatedly called on Pakistan to ensure its nationals in the South Asian country are kept safe from militant attacks. Islamabad has since then taken measures to enhance the security of Chinese nationals in the country.
Pakistan has alleged that its ongoing investigation and evidence into the Dasu attack has shown that the militants involved in it had been taking instructions from leaders of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan.
Kabul has denied the allegations and has repeatedly assured Pakistan and other countries that its soil would not be used for militant attacks in other countries.