- Pakistan, China work closely in sharing information, says envoy.
- “We keep Chinese friends informed of steps that we are taking.”
- “We have capability to […] defeat these terrorist forces,” he adds.
Pakistan and China’s discussions about security measures to protect Chinese nationals working in the South Asian country are a work in progress, Islamabad’s ambassador to Beijing said on Wednesday.
It is Pakistan’s “national responsibility” and the country is “doing everything possible”, Ambassador Khalil Hashmi told reporters at the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China’s Hainan province.
“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, he said.
“We keep our Chinese friends informed of the steps that we are taking, so it’s a work in progress.”
Hashmi said those talks are ongoing, with a high degree of trust between both countries.
“It’s a complex security environment,” he said, “We have the capability to resolve, to counter and combat and defeat these terrorist forces.”
Two Chinese citizens among three people were killed in a suicide blast near Karachi airport in November last year and a banned outfit — Balochistan Liberation Army’s (BLA) Majeed Brigade — claimed its responsibility.
Later in February this year, President Asif Ali Zardari met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where it was pledged that enhanced security measures for Chinese nationals and infrastructure projects in Pakistan would be taken.
A joint declaration mentioned that the Pakistani side will continue to make all efforts to investigate the terrorist attacks involving Chinese personnel and bring the perpetrators to justice.
It will also further increase input into security, and take targeted and enhanced measures to effectively ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, and create a safe environment for cooperation between the two countries.
