Islamabad, March 26 As the security situation in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces continues to worsen, China has once again expressed deep concerns over the safety of its nationals who are currently working in different projects linked to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Amid rising threats, Pakistani Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi was seen making desperate attempts at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference being held in south China's Hainan province to convince the "all-weather friend" of the security situation back home.
"I think our two countries work very closely in terms of information sharing, in terms of developing the standard operating procedures, to ensure Chinese nationals working in Pakistan are safe," Hashmi said in Boao.
Hashmi acknowledged that it is a "complex security situation in Pakistan", adding that Pakistan has the capability to "resolve, counter, combat and defeat" the terrorist forces.
"We keep our Chinese friends informed of the steps that we are taking, so it's a work in progress", the Pakistani Ambassador mentioned.
Chinese nationals have been targetted and killed in different attacks in Balochistan and KP provinces, where terror attacks have been carried out against them.
Beijing remains massively concerned about the security and safety of its nationals, especially after a convoy carrying Chinese workers was targetted in a terror attack in Karachi, killing at least two Chinese engineers and injuring another dozen, in October 2024.
Proscribed militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed responsibility for the attack on the Chinese staff, who worked at the Port Qasim Electric Power Company and were targetted in an explosion near the Jinnah International Airport.
In Boao, the Pakistani Ambassador termed the Chinese concerns on security as a "top priority" and termed it as a "national responsibility", maintaining that Islamabad is doing everything possible to ensure complete security for the Chinese workers in the country.
The BLA, on the other hand, accuses the Pakistani government of exploiting the rich resources of Balochistan along with China. BLA has been targetting Pakistani security forces, Punjabis in Balochistan and the Chinese nationals in major attacks, vowing to throw outsiders out of Balochistan.
The Pakistani government maintains that militant groups are running their anti-state agenda by blocking development of the province and inflicting irreparable damage to the future of youth in the region.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor