Following the firing on former PM of Pakistan, Imran Khan, there were growing concerns over the safety and security of Chinese nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, Pakistan and China on Sunday agreed to use bullet-proof vehicles for the Chinese workers for all outdoor movements.
China and Pakistan exchanged the draft minutes of the 11th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the CPEC, it said, “It has been decided that bullet-proof vehicles shall be used for all outdoor movements of the Chinese employed on projects.”
Pakistan and China did not sign the 11th Joint Cooperation Committee during the two-day visit of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Beijing earlier this week, against the expectation of the public. “Due to a very short visit of only 24 hours some of the memorandum of understanding, including the minutes of the JCC, could not be signed,” the Minister said.
“About 17 meetings took place in a span of 24 hours, which left no time for some other important engagements,” he said.
According to the reports,both parties have agreed to increase the capacity of law enforcement and investigative organisations.
It had been agreed that the National Forensic Science Agency (NFSA) would be constructed on contemporary lines in order to hasten the investigations into the crimes involving Chinese people.
In order to completely upgrade the National Forensic Science Lab in Islamabad, the Pakistani side requested Chinese cooperation. According to the draught minutes, The Express Tribune stated that the Chinese side assured them of their complete support for the initiative.
In order to provide the LEA staff and private security guards with the most up-to-date training methods, the Chinese side has also agreed to set up a training facility.
The judgments may help allay the worries of the Chinese government, which had been holding off on the CPEC front until the security of its citizens was fully assured and Pakistan complied with the terms of the energy agreements.
The Express Tribune said that the draught minutes also highlighted the Chinese side’s commitment to supplying security-related equipment for the capacity building of the Pakistani law enforcement agencies.
The implementation of the CPEC projects was severely hampered by a few terrorist assaults against Chinese citizens. According to insiders, China had even previously insisted that Pakistan permit its security personnel to guard Chinese nationals.