Security of foreigners, CPEC projects increased

PESHAWAR: The security of foreigners and different CPEC projects has been further strengthened after the suicide attack on Chinese nationals in Bisham last week.

Police in different districts have been tasked with collecting the fresh data of foreigners, including Chinese nationals, for taking measures for their adequate security. All the senior police officers have been directed to ensure security of Chinese nationals and CPEC projects in their respective areas by installing more CCTV cameras and conducting search operations in the vicinity.

As many as 20 police officers of the rank of superintendent of police and deputy superintendent of police were posted on Tuesday for supervision of security of different CPEC projects in Kohistan, Chitral, Peshawar, Dir, Nowshera, Haripur and other districts.

Also, security measures for the Chinese nationals working on different projects were reviewed during a meeting chaired by the inspector general of police Akhtar Hayat. The deputy inspector general of the Special Security Unit was appointed focal person to review the security arrangements for the Chinese nationals and other foreigners and ensure implementation of SOPs by the federal government in letter and spirit.

Five Chinese citizens and a Pakistani driver were killed when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive laden car with the vehicle of the engineers working on a dam site on March 26 in Bisham, Shangla.

The Counter Terrorism Department has arrested a few suspected facilitators involved in an attack on the vehicle of Chinese engineers. This was the second attack in the last three years on Chinese engineers working in the area. In July 2021, 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, two Frontier Constabulary personnel and two locals were killed when their bus came under a bomb attack in Dasu Kohistan.