China is dissatisfied with the existing security arrangements and has repeatedly raised concerns with Pakistan.
Islamabad:
In an embarrassing development for the “all-weather friend” of China and Pakistan, Karachi police have resorted to temporarily closing some businesses run by Chinese nationals in the city as they struggle to prevent terrorist attacks Which may compromise Islamabad’s strategic ties with Beijing. Nikkei Asia.
China “temporarily” closed the consular section of its embassy in Islamabad days after it advised Chinese citizens to be cautious due to the “deteriorating security situation” in Pakistan, according to the Chinese embassy in Pakistan.
It appears that despite several requests and warnings from Beijing, the Pakistani authorities have shown a callous attitude towards the safety of the lives of Chinese citizens living in Pakistan.
Interestingly, some reports suggest that Islamabad is indirectly pressuring Beijing to write off its huge debt to China or extend the deadline to avoid an imminent default.
Various terrorist groups operating in Pakistan are increasingly targeting Chinese citizens and projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
A growing number of Pakistanis suspect that China is slowly encroaching on their land under the guise of boosting their economic status through commercial projects, mining operations and other financial investments.
The growing anti-China sentiment among the Pakistani population is becoming difficult for the local government and security agencies to control.
As a result, state officials are not taking adequate security measures to protect Chinese citizens. Notably, Pakistan cannot afford to finance another dedicated military unit to protect Chinese interests in the country, Business Standard reported.
As a result, Beijing is dissatisfied with the current security arrangement and has repeatedly raised concerns with Islamabad.
In January, Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that “the Chinese side is highly concerned about the safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan and hopes that the Pakistani side will continue to take strict security measures.”
Bhutto-Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) governs Sindh province, where Chinese businesses and citizens face the main threat from terrorist organizations.
According to media reports, Karachi police took measures to close some Chinese businesses in mid-March due to intelligence indicating possible attacks.
A report quoted local officials as saying, “Despite repeated warnings, many Chinese-owned businesses failed to implement security protocols, which led to their being sealed until satisfactory security arrangements were put in place.” Nikkei Asia reported.
As a result, local police officers shut down businesses, including a Chinese restaurant, a supermarket and a marine products company, for not following standard security protocols outlined in the ‘Sindh Security of Vulnerable Establishments Act’, a provincial law that mandates Have made security arrangements for the targeted places, reported Sindhi Law.
This is a shameful development for both the local and central governments for failing to provide adequate protection to Chinese businesses in Karachi, which is the business capital of Pakistan.
Karachi has seen several attacks on Chinese citizens as separatist groups have expanded their targets beyond Pakistani state institutions and personnel.
One of the most notable attacks occurred in April 2022 with a suicide bombing near the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi, which claimed the lives of three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani driver.
Additionally, in June 2020 there was an attack on the building that houses the stock exchange, which is partly owned by a Chinese consortium, as well as an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi in 2018, Al Jazeera reported. .
The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for all three incidents. Last September, an ethnic Chinese cashier was killed at a dental clinic, while the dentist and his wife were wounded by a bullet. A Sindhi rebel group was suspected to be responsible for the shooting, Sama TV reported.
All of these targeted attacks show that local rebel groups fear that China’s growing influence could seriously threaten their freedom of movement and the right to claim their own natural resources.
Notably, apart from ethnic separatist groups, violent Islamist groups such as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) have also attacked and threatened Chinese citizens in Pakistan. to leave the country, Global Times reported.
In July 2021, a TTP-led suicide bombing attacked a bus carrying engineers to a construction site near a dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohistan region, killing 13 people, including nine Chinese labourers, Nikkei Asia Report of.
Pakistan later paid millions of dollars in compensation to the families of the deceased Chinese nationals, putting an additional financial burden on Islamabad.
In addition, Beijing is apprehensive about the recent alliance between Baloch insurgent organizations and the TTP. In addition, both IS-K and al-Qaeda have issued warnings in their propaganda publications of targeting Chinese citizens, reported European Eye on Radicalization.
The killing of Chinese citizens in Pakistan is causing concern in the minds of Chinese companies and Xi Jinping’s government. These targeted strikes would seriously disrupt Chinese investment in Pakistan, leading to tensions between the two “brother” nations.
China has been increasing pressure on Pakistan to allow private Chinese security contractors to operate within its borders. However, even if the Pakistani authorities force some Chinese enterprises to cease operations for their own safety, the issue is unlikely to disappear.
With China intending to expand CPEC in the region, the security challenges for Chinese nationals in Pakistan and Afghanistan are expected to become even more complex.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)